Snakes and Sacrifices
by lunabelledara
Summary: Loki has been ruling over Earth since you were eight years old; You have been serving your sister, Loki's mistress, since you were twelve. But now, six years later, you're of age, and somebody's eye seems to be wandering towards you. Can you resist? If so, for how long? Rated M: Smut, violence, and language.
1. Prelude

_She wears diamonds on her fingers,_  
_With roughed, calloused hands._  
_On each toe, a ruby, Her feet unused to dance. _  
_The Midgardians would laugh, _  
_If they were to see. _  
_Asgard will fall to her, _  
_On every bended knee. _  
_A siren's call awakens him, _  
_So blinded they all will be. _  
_An heir to the kingdom,_  
_She shall bring forth to thee._  
_A golden-haired child, _  
_Yggdrasil will shake its leaves. _  
_The old man in the hall, _  
_Will no longer drink his mead. _  
_The child and the old man, _  
_Fighting for the throne._  
_One of which will die by fire, _  
_Ashes will be his bone. _  
_The old man's child, _  
_Along with his own heir, _  
_Will rule the realms of nine, _  
_And open every thoroughfare. _  
_Chaos will descend, _  
_Through every open door. _  
_Then once the mischief is over, _  
_The child will be no more._


	2. The Takeover

"Come on, you lot, get a move on!"

The prison camp you and your sister had been sent to a few weeks ealier was hell. It was harder labour, longer hours, and with even less food than the last one. Of course, it was your fault you were kicked out of the last one in the first place; you and your big mouth had to whine about the lack of food. After your sister had chosen to receive the beating for you, they sent you here, a camp where the Bronx, in New York City, had formerly been. You hardly remembered the sound of cars anymore and electricity was altogether scarce. Modern plumbing? Nonexistant in the prison camps.

After Loki, the God of Mischief, had taken over the Stark Tower in what was once Manhattan, New York, and somehow ended up defeating the entire Avengers team, the world had been plunged into chaos. Prison camps were started for people like you and your sister, who had been out in the middle of nowhere when he had taken over. The camp before had been a camp to train one how to become a mindless servant. Your sister, of course, had done exactly what had been told of her. You, on the other hand, ended up attracting trouble no matter what you had done. At the first camp you two were ever at, you had gotten into a fight with someone four years older than you (you were eight at the time), and they ended up setting your bed on fire as you slept. You were kept alive, since it was revealed that the muscles in your legs were not harmed, merely the skin. You walked with the tiniest of limps afterwards, but it was hardly noticeable around people who only thought of not getting hurt by the guards.

Four years later and you and your sister, Ashley, were at your fifth prison camp. This one involved digging long, deep trenches for bodies that come from what was once Stark Tower. You didn't notice for awhile, but when you heard your sister gasp and say something incoherently, you happened to look up. Standing on the upper part of the trench directly in front of you was the "one true ruler" of "Midgard", as he called it. His black leather boots were impeccable, despite the rain and mud; in fact, he was virtually spotless, from his boots all the way up to his slick-backed, raven hair. He was eyeing you with some curiosity and knelt down to your level to look at you. The people surrounding you hurried to kneel, but you were absolutely captivated by his emerald-green eyes. It was almost like they were bearing into your soul; in fact, it wasn't until the camp-guard that was patrolling the area stepped behind you and slammed you to your knees.

"On your knees for your King, little bitch," the camp-guard hissed at you, his ironclad grip forcing your head down into a bow. You hoped that the man you were bowing for would say something, but he didn't. At least, not for a few moments.

"That's enough now, Gregory," he said, almost lazily, and you sighed with relief when the camp-guard removed his hand. You could see from your peripheral vision that your sister was slowly inching her way towards you to see if you were okay. However, she immediately froze when Loki jumped into the trench, right between the two of you. You kept your eyes downcast, but he tilted your chin up to look at him.

"Look at me, little one," he said, almost gently. You raised your eyes, but didn't dare risk looking into his again, so you settled for looking at his lips instead. He studied your face for awhile, saying nothing, but you had the strangest feeling that he could read your mind. Eventually, he let you go, and the camp-guard demanded that everyone get back to work. Loki leapt out of the trench with amazing agility and he and another camp-guard went inside the small stone building where the main office was. The office was the only place in the camp that had a steady amount of electricity running through it (it was what kept the electric fence around the camp running).

"Hey," you hear your sister softly calling to you, but you don't dare look away from your work.

"What?" you call back.

"Are you all right?" Ashley asked you, her voice full of concern.

"I'm fine," you respond back stubbornly, then proceed to ignore her for the next few moments. That is, until she is suddenly yanked out of the trench by a camp-guard.

"Hey!" she screamed, kicking and flailing. "Lemme go!" Her fighting was for naught, however; lack of sleep and food and overworked muscles lost out to a simple maneuver of the camp-guard. However, he didn't seem like he was actually trying to hurt her, which was odd, because the camp guards loved to inflict pain any chance they got. Why was soon found out.

"Hello, little dove," came the King's voice once again. This time, you were ready. You instantly kneeled, but he wasn't paying attention to you; his eyes were solely focused on your sister. You saw him murmur something to her, which had an instant effect: her muscles relaxed slightly and she stopped struggling against the camp-guard's grip. Some words were exchanged that you couldn't hear (a well-placed hit to the ear the day before had caused you to lose some hearing for awhile), but it seemed to make Loki happy, because he had a grin on his face. Your sister, however, appeared to have had her worst nightmares realized: her face was white and she was trembling all over. However, before she was taken away by Loki and the camp-guard, her voice rang out, and to this day, you never forgot it.

"Please," she pleaded. "Let me take my sister, _, with me. If she does, I will come pleasantly and I will never fight against you. She can work for you, or for me, whatever you wish. Just, please, let her be near me."

You never actually heard a 'yes' or a 'no' uttered, but you always assumed it was a 'yes', because you were hauled out of the trench as well and were made to follow Loki and Ashley. Before you were put into a heavily-armed van, your sister gave you a small grin and said, "I told you I would find a way to get us both out of here. Now, do not say a word against anyone, do not fight against anything, and do exactly as they say. If you don't, this was all for naught."


	3. A Surprise Encounter

_**6 years later**_

You had been working as a servant for your sister for quite a few years. In all honesty, the job could be a whole hell of a lot worse; granted, baths for you were scarce and sometimes you ended up eating leftover food off of Ashley's plates, but there were worse jobs around the place you could have. Whoring for Loki's soldiers or cleaning up the prison cells, for instance. You had heard horror stories from others who had worked both jobs; sometimes it was hard to tell which job would be worse. What they did to those poor people in the cells was nothing short of horrific. Not to mention, rumors had it that Loki's own brother, Thor, was imprisoned down there, tormented daily by his captors. With whoring, Loki's soldiers were brutal to nearly every single girl they came across. A few times, some of the girls had even died. To the soldiers, the girls were nothing but things to play with; once they were broken, they went on to the next one.

Compared to those jobs, as well as a few others, working as a servant for your sister was heavenly. In fact, most of the time you enjoyed it; occasionally, your sister would spoil you, but only whenever Loki was away. Whenever he was off at another place, like the prison camps, for some time, you both were locked away in his rooms, mainly to protect her from others. While she was locked away, you were only allowed to go to the kitchens and to the laundry room. Otherwise, you were locked away as well. Your sister told Loki that it was because she needed you more when he was gone, but that wasn't the truth. In fact, your sister worried more about your well being more than her own.

During these times, you and your sister would usually curl up together on a couch and watch old movies, while reminiscing about the past. Loki would never have allowed this. To him, you were simply a servant, no matter what your relation to Ashley was. That was why it only happened if he were going to be away for a week, or more, at a time. Granted, he gave Ashley everything she ever wanted (within reason), but to him, there were some lines that were never to be crossed.

Occasionally, though, working for your sister was not all peaches and cream. Today, for example, was what would've been the greatest day of your life if Loki hadn't taken over... your eighteenth birthday. However, instead of having fun and enjoying your newly earned adulthood, you were running ragged trying to help your sister dress for some party Loki was having for some visiting foreign leaders. Your sister had already bathed and fixed her hair and makeup, but finding what she wanted to wear was a complete nightmare. Everything you picked out that would look great on her, she vetoed.

"No, _," she hissed, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder and sighing, causing you to have a small fit of jealousy. Your sister bathed on a, sometimes twice, daily basis, whereas you were lucky to get one a week. Of course, Ashley had access to the finest products known to mankind, and you were lucky to have access to a bottle of shampoo and a bar of soap. Oftentimes, you only had one or the other. You didn't begrudge her for this, though; it was not her fault Loki had chosen her for his lover.

"I have to look perfect for this event, or Loki will kill me," she continued, searching through her closet and flinging clothing all over the place.

Unfortunately, both of you knew that was in the realm of possibility for her. Loki wasn't exactly the nice when he was put in a foul mood. To be honest, he was most often cruel and spiteful. Oftentimes when he was angry, he would send you from the rooms and you were not allowed to return until your sister called for you. That could take anywhere from hours to days; once, it took a full week. Whenever you returned, you weren't allowed to ask questions, just help your sister clean herself up and take care of any messes. Quite a few of these messes were broken things, blood, or some combination of the two.

"Well, what about this one?" you ask her, holding up a clingy, velvety, nearly black, sleeveless dress with a slit in each side that only showed its true emerald green color in the right light. This dress was your favorite out of all of her dresses, but you never uttered a word like that, knowing full well that your sister would wear it just to spite you. You both loved each other, and usually got along, but sometimes the sister-aspect was just a little too strong. Especially since the two of you were ten years apart and she was forced to take care of you after your mother had disappeared.

Ashley sighed and placed her hands at her temples, rubbing slightly. "No, just no. It's not the right dress for me. Just give me the dark green lace one with the three-quarter sleeves." You obliged, helping her into the dress and zipping up the back. Of course, she looked stunning, but you couldn't help but notice the strain in her face and how tense her shoulders were.

"What's wrong, Ash?" you asked her. "Why are you so tense over a party?" It was unlike her to be tense over anything, but over the last few years, you noticed that her smiles were getting tighter-lipped and she often hugged herself, as if everything would fall apart if she didn't.

Ashley sighed again, letting her shoulders droop and her head drop. "It's not the damn party, Bug," she said, calling you by your old nickname. "I... I can't get pregnant. I'm infertile."

You let out the tiniest of gasps. Knowing this information was considered treason against Loki, but for Ashley, it meant an instant death sentence. A very long time ago, there was a small prophecy made about Loki and a woman, who he had supposed was Ashley. Nobody but Loki and a few others had any inkling of what the prophecy was, so they took Loki's word for it. The prophecy was to have said that this woman would bear Loki a son, who would eventually overthrow Loki's adopted father (Odin) and rule the nine realms. However, if Ashley does not birth Loki a son, or even get pregnant, she is not the one that the prophecy is about, and she gets sentenced to death. As for you, there is no telling what would happen to you.

Before you could say anything, the double doors to the bedroom crashed open, and in walked the Devil himself: Loki. You and Ashley jumped nearly a foot in the air, your hearts both racing ninety miles an hour. Due to instinct and being well trained, you instantly bowed to him, but he took no notice of you. His black boots made hardly any noise on the tiled floor and his black cloak blazed behind him as he walked with an inhuman speed. His raven-black hair was slicked back and appeared to have grown since the last you had seen him. As he approached you, you did not move until he passed, but he took absolutely no notice of you. In fact, he probably noticed the wall more than he noticed you. He approached your sister, his eyes glinting strangely.

"Your sister is to attend the meeting," he told her, with no room for arguing. "I have a few clients that may be interested in her... _talents_." A small smirk crossed his face, but it was gone as soon as Ashley opened her mouth.

"But you told me I could keep her for as long as I needed her. I still have need of her." She argued back, surprisingly with no whine in her voice. "Besides, she's a young girl and couldn't possibly know anything other than how to clean, serve food, and get a woman dressed."

Loki raised an eyebrow and completely ignored her response. "She is to be dressed decently, not in her filthy servant's garb, and you both are to be in the dining hall in an hour. Do _not_ be late," he nearly hissed. With that, he swept from the room, taking longer to leave than he did to enter.

For a long while, neither of you said anything, and when your sister finally spoke, she spoke with steely resolve. "Go on, Bug. Go get yourself cleaned up and I shall find you something to wear."

You did as you were commanded and headed towards the huge master bathroom. You had no idea what you were in for and you highly suspected it was not going to be anything good. After you had bathed and used your favorite smelling soaps, you stood in front of the large, full-length mirror and inspected yourself. Because of lack of hair care, your (hair color) hair was somewhat dull and rather tangled. Without your daily finger-brushing, your hair would've ended up being a matted mess a long time ago. Your body had changed since your last bath a few weeks ago: it was a lot rounder in the hips, thighs, and butt, and your breasts were larger than you last knew. Of course, since you were a child, you had always carried extra weight in your stomach area, but with everything else rounding out, your body looked a bit more even now. You were shorter than your sister and there was very little semblance between the two of you, other than the fact you both had your mother's nose. Your sister was tall and slender, whereas you were rather short and... well, quite curvy. In your opinion, you looked like a squashed Jessica Rabbit with not much of a waistline, but you didn't dare voice that.

After inspecting your body and knowing there wasn't a damn thing you could do about it, you entered the huge closet that belonged to your sister, where she was digging for something for you to wear.

"Damn," she muttered, flinging clothes everywhere and taking no notice of you. "I guess I don't really have anything for _." Turning around, you made her yelp with surprise and clutch her chest. "Don't do that!" she scolded. "You scared the hell out of me! I thought you were... _him_."

"Sorry," you murmured, your head downcast with embarrassment, causing you to once again notice your body. You had managed to scrounge up a nice pair of undergarments that your sister had never worn (they were too "plain" for her taste) and you managed to make them fit, but you were still embarrassed about your size. So what were you supposed to do? Go naked? You voiced this to your sister, who sighed and threw up her hands before thinking a few moments.

"Well, there is always that velvet number," she said thoughtfully. "It would definitely look different on you, but the fabric stretches really well." You tried to protest, after all, you'd end up ruining the dress for her, but she stopped your protests with, "Would you rather go naked?"

You shook your head and allowed your sister to help you into the dress. It was snugger than you expected, but your sister exclaimed that you looked amazing and rushed you over to the mirror. You didn't see what she saw, but you felt somewhat pretty. At least, better than you had felt in the past six years. The dress was a bit longer on you than you had expected, so the slit started mid-thigh, hiding some of the old scars on your legs. The dress clung to every curve, but instead of making them stand out in a negative light, it made them... well, you were surprised to notice that they looked pretty sexy.

Your sister was nearly speechless looking at you and smiling. She looked like she wanted to tell you something, but instead, you embraced. You both stood there, hugging and breathing in each other's scent, knowing full well it may be the last time you ever see each other. After a few moments, you step back, wiping away your tears. "We should probably go," you tell your sister, "I'd rather not get on his Lordship's bad side."

Ashley nodded. "You're right," she said, sniffling and wiping away a single tear. "I couldn't spare you from his wrath if we both end up being late." With that, you quickly swept your hair up into a simple topknot, running your fingers through it as nicely as possible, snagged a pair of flat black shoes from your sister's closet, and quickly followed her out the door. As the two of you approached the doors to the dining hall, your sister turned to you, saying nothing but expressing everything with her dark eyes.

"I know," you said breathlessly. "But I'll be fine. Remember, I'm _your_ sister. If I can make it through this, I can make it through anything." With that, the two of you turned to the doors in front of you, wondering what awaited you behind them.


	4. Happy Birthday?

As the doors opened, everyone seemed to turn and look at you and Ashley. Unsure of what to do, you followed your sister to where Loki and a few others were standing, towards the center of the room. You kept your head down and looked at nothing but the floor, like you were trained to do around his Lordship and others of high status. Because of this, you didn't instantly see what was towards the other end of the room: a stage, set up with a few musicians and a microphone. However, once you noticed it, you gave your sister a confused look. There was never music in the Tower, other than when your sister sung in the bathtub (and it wasn't exactly what you would call GOOD) or when a song would be on a movie that you guys were sneakily watching while Loki was gone. However, your sister missed the look you gave her, but someone else noticed.

"What is your confusion, little one?" Loki asked you, causing your heart to sink. The last time Loki had ever directly spoken to you was on that fateful day six years ago; you were terrified then and certainly more so now, knowing what he was capable of. Daring a little look higher, you noticed nearly everyone in a close vicinity was staring at you, causing you to blush from your head to your toes.

"I-I..." you stammered, shaking like a leaf from head to toe. Loki had never directly spoken to you like this since moving to The Tower and it scared the hell out of you.

"Oh, sweetie," your sister said, wrapping her arms around you. "Pull your head up and answer him. There is nothing to fear. In here, you are not a servant girl, you are my sister. My flesh and blood." This last part she whispered in your ear. You could feel the tenseness in her hug, but you listened to her words. Not quite meeting Loki's penetrating gaze, you answered him.

"I thought m-music wasn't allowed in The Tower?" you answered, phrasing it as a question.

Loki gave your sister a look that reminded you of a storm brewing. "You have not told her yet?" he asked incredulously. "I would have thought you of all people would not be so inclined as to make the girl suffer."

"I hadn't had a chance to tell her, I didn't want to ruin the surprise," your sister replied smartly, holding her head up, despite the pink tinge that appeared on her cheeks. But since she was still embracing you, you could feel her trembling. Apparently there was something going on between the two of them that you didn't know about. And, quite frankly, you really did not want to know about.

Turning to face her, your sister answered the confused look on your face with a smile on hers. "You are to sing, sweet sister. It is our birthday gift to you. Happy birthday, _." You felt like your heart was going to beat out of your chest; ever since you were a child, you were constantly singing, at least when you wouldn't be caught by anyone other than your sister. When nothing came out of your mouth, your sister said, "You were overheard one day by someone, who wasn't me, and I was approached about it. I thought that instead of being punished, maybe we could bring music back to the Tower." You dared a quick glance around and your eyes came to rest on Loki; his eyes were locked onto your sister with an odd expression.

"B-but, I thought I was being sent away?" you asked your sister, trying not to blush again.

Your sister's face went tight, but all she said was, "No. Not yet, at least." This made your heartbeat quicken, but you looked up at the stage, and felt your heart lighten. For the first time in what felt like forever, you smiled. "I really can?" you semi-squeaked, your excitedment starting to overpower your worry from your sister's comment.

"Yes! Now, get up there and sing your heart out, Bug," she said tenderly. With that, she and Loki went to sit at a table where they could see over the heads of others, and you were ushered onto the stage.

One of the "band" members, a tall bald man with what looked like a fang in his ear, nodded to you. "I'm Daniel," he said. "Me and a few others have done a lot of research on what music Lady Ashley said you like to sing." He held out a list to you and you marveled at all of the different songs on the list; your sister really did pay attention to you. However, you had no idea which one to sing. It had been so long since you sang in front of an audience, you were nervous. In fact, you felt downright nauseous.

"Erm," you said, trying to think quickly. Daniel had started to appear irritated, so you just chose one at random. "This one," you told Daniel, pointing to it. He nodded and went off to tell the other "band" members which song you had chosen. Apparently he was a rather impatient man. You felt like your stomach was going to lift off from all the butterflies and you wiped your sweaty hands on the sides of your dress. Turning to the microphone, you looked out at the crowd, where Loki was in deep discussion with another leader, but your sister, along with quite a few others, had eyes for only you. You gave her a small smile as the music started. When the music really hit you, you realized the song you chose was quite appropriate for the situation going on with you and your sister. And Loki. And pretty much the whole world. You prayed to whatever God that might smile down upon you that it would not offend anyone. It was a song your sister had often sung to you as a child, whenever your depression had gotten the better of you. Of course, she sang it differently from the original, which you had only heard once or twice. Luckily for you, the band played a more acoustical version of the song, instead of the original rock music.

"_This world will never be what I expected, And if I don't belong, who would have guessed it?_  
_I will not leave alone, everything that I own  
To make you feel like it's not too late,_  
_It's never too late._

_Even if I say, 'It'll be alright.'_  
_Still I hear you say you want to end your life  
Now and again we try to just stay alive  
Maybe we'll turn it all around, 'cause it's not too late  
It's never too late._"

As the music grew in intensity, you felt deep down that this was what you had needed all this time, but never realized it. By now, every single pair of eyes in the dining hall were on you. Even some of the band members were surprised at the intensity in your voice and how well it resonated within the hall. In fact, the pair of eyes you most felt upon you were not your sister's, which were filled with tears. It was the eyes of her (and everyone else's) Master... Loki. His dark emerald eyes were studying you as if he had never actually seen you before.

"_No one will ever see this side reflected,_  
_And if there's something wrong, who would have guessed it?_  
_And I have left alone everything that I own,_  
_To make you feel like it's not too late,_  
_It's never too late._

_Even if I say, 'It'll be alright.'_  
_Still I hear you say you want to end your life._  
_Now and again we try to just stay alive,  
Maybe we'll turn it all around, 'cause it's not too late,_  
_It's never too late._"

As you prepared for your favorite part of the song, you began to forget everyone's eyes on you. As you entered into it, you closed your eyes and felt all of your nervousness, all of your fears, just melt away. You scarcely even felt the intense green gaze coming from the center of the room.

"_The world we knew won't come back.  
__The time we've lost, can't get back.  
The life we had won't be ours again._

_This world will never be what I expected,  
And if I don't belong..._

_Even if I say, 'It'll be alright.'_  
_Still I hear you say, you want to end your life._  
_Now and again we try to just stay alive  
Maybe we'll turn it all around, 'cause it's not too late It's never too late._  
_Maybe we'll turn it all around, 'cause it's not too late It's never too late._  
_It's not too late, It's never too late._"

As you finished the song, there was a ringing silence throughout the hall. As your face began to heat up, a dull roar began picking up, followed by the sounds of hands coming together in applause. Ashley had stood up and rushed over to the stage, prompting everyone else to stand up and applaud you. In fact, the only one that had not moved a muscle was Loki, who was still studying you much like an entomologist studies a new insect. But once your sister got to the stage and had enfolded you into her arms once again, you forgot all about the glittering gaze and began to sob. Each tear that fell was from a mixture of things: love, heartbreak, joy, sorrow, and, from the deepest part of your soul, bitterness.

"That was incredible, _! I can't believe you still have got that inside of you. I mean, you were always fantastic when you were younger, but without the training you used to go through, I never thought you'd retain it." Your sister exclaimed in your ear, tears running down her face. Wiping them away, she said, "We have to make this a weekly thing, or something along those lines." She turned to Loki, who had suddenly appeared next to you, making you jump slightly.

As she jabbered away to him, you began to look around the hall. The food was starting to be served and the leaders had begun to talk among themselves; every so often, one would shoot you a look of curiosity, mingled with... lust? No, that wasn't possible. Amusement? Now that was more likely. Turning your attention back to your sister, she gave you a smile and said, "We'll talk more about it later, Bug. Why don't we go down there and eat?"

Giving her a bewildered look, you began to follow her, but not before you felt a foreign hand on your shoulder, followed by lips nearly against your ear.

"That was interesting, little one," Loki whispered into your ear, his lips barely brushing the tiny hairs on your ear, causing weird shivers in the pit of your stomach. "I am curious as to what you will sing next time." With that, he walked down to join the leaders at another table, leaving you slightly dazed.

Later that evening, after the food had been sent away and Loki was locked away in a chamber with his soldiers, discussing some sort of tactics, you and Ashley were having a little chat in her and Loki's chambers. Well, Ashley was talking, while you had returned to cleaning up the mess the two of you had created earlier that day. You had returned the dress to your sister's closet (so that way it wouldn't get ruined) and put your old rags back on.

"You were so incredible, Bug," your sister said while she splayed out on the bed, painting her fingernails. You had offered to do it, but she had waved you off with a shake of her hand, so instead you began to clean her closet.

"You don't have to keep saying that, Ash," you told her, returning shoes to their rightful places. "I wasn't _that_ great. It just seemed that way since it's been so long since anyone has heard music. At least, here in the Tower."

With that, your sister hopped off her bed and rushed over to you. She grabbed your face in her hand and hissed, "Don't you _ever_ say that. You have a gift, a true talent, and you'd best learn to accept a compliment. I have a feeling you'll end up hearing them more often than not here shortly."

She let go of your face and you rubbed where she had grabbed tightly. "Sorry," you murmured.

Ashley had opened her mouth to retort, but closed it instead. Once the last outfit had been hung up, she grabbed your arm and led you over to the couch the two of you loved to watch movies on.

"What are you doing, Ash?" you asked with a slight irritation to your voice. Your jaw did still hurt, after all.

"I'm going to paint your nails and toenails!" she said, a genuine, unrestrained smile on her face. "What color would you like?"

You shrugged. "You pick whatever you want, it's going to flake off come tomorrow anyways."

As your sister began to paint your fingernails with a clear, semi-shimmery gloss, you began to think back onto times before Loki had taken over. It took quite a bit to visualize, because it was so long ago, but you could almost remember you, Ashley, and your mother doing the exact same thing shortly before your mother disappeared. However, you didn't think on it for too long, because Ashley had started to work on your toes already, using a lovely ruby-red color, and you felt your body start to get really tired. In fact, you had started to doze off when...

"Ladies."

Without skipping a beat, your eyes shot open, you hopped off of the couch and landed, quite painfully, onto one knee and bowed your head. It had become second nature to you, (especially after the first beating you ever got from the lady who taught you how to serve at the Tower) but it got kind of painful if you were in the middle of doing something and had to rush to kneel. Your heart was once again racing, this time because you were terrified of what sort of punishment might be doled out to you, or Ashley, for you sitting on the couch. At that rate, you felt like you would end up having a heart attack by age twenty.

"Stand," Loki commanded, crossing over to the two of you. "You need not bow to me any longer, little one. Nor will you have to serve Ashley anymore."

Both of you looked at each other, then at Loki, wearing matching bewildered looks. The only person that was told not to bow to him any more was standing right next to you. Even the foreign leaders from earlier in the day had bowed to Loki. What in the world was going on? _And_ you no longer had to serve your sister? What the hell was going on? Were you not being punished for sitting on the couch? Not that you were complaining, but you'd rather take the punishment he'd give instead of have to leave your sister.

"Judging by the expressions on your faces, you do not have a single idea of what I'm about to tell you." His face split into a sinister-looking grin and he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, the heat from his body searing into yours. From this distance, you could smell the faint aroma of alcohol and you instantly knew why he was touching you. If alcohol hadn't been involved, he'd still be standing a few feet away.

"What is it, love?" Your sister cooed, clearly rattled by his touching you, but even more rattled because he had been drinking. What she didn't realize is that you were twice as rattled as she was.

"This little one," he said to you both, his words coming out slightly thicker than normal, "Will be our permanent entertainment. Because of her, I not only got the foreign leaders from China, Israel, Pakistan, and India to agree to follow me, I have another twenty leaders coming over from Europe. All because of her."

You bowed your head as the heat, once again, rose to your head. You stared at your ruby-red toes and began to wiggle them with nervousness. Sensing what you were looking at, Loki looked at your toes, did a double take, then promptly froze.

"What... is... that?" he asked in a voice so low, you could barely hear him, the drunken sound instantly leaving his voice.

"I painted her toenails," Ashley said haughtily, tossing her hair over her shoulder. She lifted your hand to show off your glittering fingernails. "I painted her fingernails as well. It was my other birthday present for her."

Loki looked as if Thor's hammer had hit him full-force in the face. He stood there, utterly bewildered for a few moments, then halfway recovered himself.

"The level below us is being renovated for you, _," he said shortly, causing you to freeze. He had never even asked you what your name had been the whole six years you and Ashley had been at the Tower, let alone call you by it. His arm dropped off from your shoulders. "It should be done within the week. For now, you may stay here, in our chambers."

Ashley frowned. "But where will you sleep?"

"I will not be here until the end of next week," he said, still looking like someone had hit him hard. Snapping out of it, he crossed over to Ashley and placed a small kiss onto her lips. You looked away, scared to witness such an intimate moment."I will see you soon, my dear."

Looking at you, he stopped for a moment, then said, "I hope you enjoy your chambers. The day I come back, the other foreign leaders will be here. I expect you to have as good of a song to sing as you did today."

With that, he walked out of the double doors, leaving you and your sister to muddle through the rest of the evening, and the next few days, in shock, wonder, and a little bit of fear.

* * *

**Author's Note: The song "you" sing in this chapter is "Never Too Late" by Three Days Grace. Honestly, it was the only song I thought of for "you" to sing without getting shirty and offending Loki, or the foreign dignitaries. **


	5. Strings

Over the next couple of days, Ashley seemed to get surlier and surlier. Over what, you weren't quite sure of, but you had an inkling that it had something to do with the room that was being remodeled on the level below, just for you. Plus, once again, your sister was locked away in her chambers, but with a different servant assisting her. In addition, you had been given a small pile of neatly pressed clothes. 'A gift from the Master' the servant had told you. Unfortunately, the look your sister gave you was one that could curdle milk, so you avoided wearing them around her for as long as possible.

Meanwhile, in between answering basic questions from the foreman of the building crew (i.e. what was your favorite time of day?) and trying to keep your sister as happy as possible, you were still working on your next song with your band. There were still plenty of songs on the list, but you weren't exactly sure of what song you should perform. You thought about doing something cheeky, but didn't think that was quite the overall feel that Loki would want. Plus, you really did not want to be on the receiving end of his wrath.

With the many different things going on, you had begun to forget about your fear of being taken away from your sister. You had also pretty much forgotten about the weird butterflies Loki had given you. You had no forgot about the look on Loki's face when he had looked at your nails. You and Ashley had since painted over them, so as not to upset Loki the next time you saw him. (Plus, you had the feeling that Ashley was extremely jealous over what had happened.) Actually, by the time you had chosen a song for the foreign dignitaries, you had repainted your nails three different times. This time, they were a soft champagne color, with little jewels in different patterns. They hadn't even begun to chip the day you announced to your band what song you wanted to sing next.

"I've got it!" you announced happily, walking towards the stage, where the members were busy tuning and adjusting their instruments. Daniel sat tuning the black piano as the other three, whom were named David, Richard, and Bryant, sat and fiddled with a few string instruments. Daniel didn't look up when you announced what you 'had', but simply asked, "You've finally figured out what song to sing next Friday?"

You nodded, slightly put out at him for stealing you thunder, but quickly recovered. There was just something about the song that was calling out to you. It just felt RIGHT. Daniel kept plunking at the keys, but he didn't seem to be in a rush to hear the rest of your announcement. Instead of racing to tell them, you patiently waited for them to finish, admiring the way their fingers deftly moved to tune the instruments. Not that you were in a rush to go back to Ashley and Loki's chambers. That day had been rough; your sister was on edge for absolutely no reason, but kept denying that she had a problem. When you kept pressing her about it, as little sisters are wont to do, she essentially threw you from her room, telling you to piss off until you could 'stop being so damn nosy.' To say your desire to return was 'virtually nonexistent' was an understatement.

Once Daniel had finished, he looked up from the piano and simply looked at you. He was not a man of many words, but you could tell that deep within him, he was extremely WISE. Despite this, he did tend to get impatient with you easily, especially if you were being indecisive. He waited quite patiently until the others finished, then simply asked, "Well?"

You smiled and told him what song you wanted to do. He left out a soft whistle, but before he could say anything positive or negative, a small, mousy servant boy came scurrying in.

"My Lady _," he squeaked. He couldn't have been any older than 9. "I was sent to tell you that your chambers have been finished and to have you follow me so you can inspect them."

"Ooh!" you exclaimed and, with all the agility you could possibly muster, hopped off of the stage.

"I'll be back tomorrow for practice!" you called to Daniel, who didn't bother to respond. You followed the serving-boy to the elevator that would take you through the last 12 levels of the Tower. The first four of those levels were reserved for meetings with head soldiers of Loki's army, as well as private party rooms for dignitaries. The next four levels were bedrooms reserved for important guests. The final two levels were (now) yours and Ashley/Loki's chambers. The other two were still under construction. You constantly avoided those levels like a plague, due to getting stuck in them once and seeing something rather horrifying.

You had only officially been in your sister's service for about six months, but had been at the Tower for nearly a year. When you accidentally pressed the wrong button to return to your sister's rooms, the electricity had cut out, leaving you stranded in the darkness, utterly terrified. You had started banging on the walls of the elevator, scared and alone. You had finally resigned yourself to possible death, when something strong pulled the doors of the elevator open. It was hanging down a few feet, so you couldn't quite pull yourself out, so you felt yourself being lifted out. You were so grateful to whomever had done so that you didn't think about WHAT pulled you out until you finally looked around. It was a goddamn group of Chitauri, in their 'real' form. The one that pulled you out, however, seemed slightly less scary than the others: slighter in stature and with nearly-human eyes. It held a finger to what you assumed was its mouth and motioned for you to follow it. You obliged, but not before you saw what the group of others was doing about 100 feet away: nearly ripping apart a human being. You stifled a scream, but couldn't tear your eyes away from the scene.

The man, well what you assumed was a man, was dressed in what appeared to be the remains of some sort of armor, his dirty-blonde hair more dirty than blonde. There were so many cuts and bruises on his face and body, it was hard to tell that he was even a man. What little skin that wasn't cut or bruised was as white as snow, most likely from blood loss and shock. In fact, you had thought he was dead until you saw him twitch with pain. The Chitauri that pulled you from the elevator noticed you watching and quickly spun you away from the carnage. It pointed you in the direction of the stairs and pushed you towards them, as if it wanted no harm to come to you. You ran up the two flights of stairs as fast as possible, found the nearest bathroom, and emptied your stomach's contents into a toilet. Ever since then, you avoided going near those two floors as much as possible. In fact, you avoided using the elevator at all costs, but sometimes it was unavoidable. You had been caught in the elevator during power outages more often than you'd care to admit, but none of them were ever as awful as that first time. Luckily, the power had started to become a bit more stable now that Loki had agreed to restore the power lines; hell, he even agreed to start using solar energy for electricity.

When Loki had first conquered New York City, he and his army had completely obliterated most technology, and all but a few much-needed generators for the Tower. It took him a few years to realize that the Tower, as well as the immediate area, was in major need of real electricity, not just from old generators. Plus, those who were NOT in prison camps (mainly rich, influential people that hadn't liked Tony Stark) had much need of electricity and Loki knew that to get more followers, he needed to give them something for their troubles. It was as the old saying went, 'you can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar.'

* * *

On this trip up the elevator, it was quite peaceful. The servant seemed too terrified to speak to you and the elevator was actually playing, albeit very quiet, piano music. You suspected that it had been recorder in the Tower, due to the unearthly sound to it. You resolved to ask Daniel about it the next chance you got. The ding of the elevator announced your arrival and you followed the serving-boy across the stark-white hall to a single black door. When it opened, you gasped in awe.

Half of the room was paneled with a single, solid glass window, overlooking the New York City skyline at dawn. You knew it was actually closer to dinner time, so that must have been the reason for the 'favorite time of day' question. Plus, the skyline showed non-destroyed buildings and cars driving around, which definitely was NOT the real. Half of the city had been destroyed when Loki took over and there were definitely no cars working. Well, none that weren't solar powered. Returning to the present, you noticed that another two-thirds of the wall was covered with black marble bookshelves. Each of these shelves were overflowing with books and scrolls, which you were just itching to get your hands on. In the center of the room was a free-standing, open black-brick fireplace, while a furry rug and emerald-green poufs sat on either side of it. You had a television on one wall, while a black and green chaise lounge was sitting across from it. Your shoes made gentle clicking noises against the black tile floor and the more you looked around, the more you fell in love. In one corner of the room was a black bar, partially stocked. That's when you realized there was no bed in here.

Turning to the serving-boy, you jumped as you realized he was no longer there, leaving you all alone to explore. Heading through a set of thick black curtains, you found a lush, product-filled bathroom, complete with a raised tub and separate waterfall shower. Through another door was an immaculate closet, filled with more clothes than you had ever _worn_ in your entire life (including before Loki's takeover). After taking in the immaculateness of everything, you felt insanely overwhelmed and slid onto the floor of the closet, sobbing. You never thought you would end up amounting to _anything_ in this life, and now you were essentially the "headlining entertainment" for the self-proclaimed King of Midgard. It was all just too much for you to handle.

"I did not realize your gift was so depressing."

Yelping with shock, you quickly hopped off of your butt and bent your knee. This resulted in a gentle chuckle.

"Look at me, little one," Loki said softly. You obliged, wiping your tears away. "I told you that you had to no longer kneel to me."

"I'm, I'm sorry," you stammered, sniffling, and clambering off of your knees. "It's a force of habit."

Loki said nothing, but seemed to be waiting for a response towards his earlier quasi-question.

"M-my gift is the farthest thing from depressing, my Lord," you told him. "I absolutely love the rooms. It's just..."

"Just what?" he demanded to know.

Tears threatened to fill your eyes again, but you quickly blinked them away.

"I never thought that I would amount to anything but a servant for my sister and, eventually, her children," you said thickly. "It's because of her that I'm _here_. She's the one who risked her neck for me."

Loki studied you for a moment. "Do you really think that I had nothing to do with this?" he asked incredulously.

You vehemently shook your head. "Oh, no no no. That's not what I meant at all. The chance, and the gifts, you have given to me are more than I could have possibly imagined. I just know that if my sister hadn't been kind enough to give me my birthday present, none of this would have happened for me."

Loki laughed, somewhat coldly. "You really are an innocent little fool."

He began to approach you and you were instantly terrified. To be honest, the closer he got, the more of a thrill you felt in the pit of your stomach, but you were not sure if the thrill was pleasurable or terrifying. You felt a bump against your back and realized that you had been unconsciously backing away from him. Unfortunately, Loki was still loping towards you. Dressed in nearly all-black leather, he reminded you of a panther you had seen at a zoo as a child: sleek, silent, and extremely deadly.

He was within six inches of you when he finally stopped. He put his face down near yours and, subconsciously, you put your face down in a passive manner.

"Who was it, do you think, that heard YOU singing all those months ago?" he growled, but before you could even open your mouth, he continued. "It wasn't a servant, as your sister made you believe. My first instinct was to throw you in the dungeons; Midgardian music in _my_ Tower? However, your sister managed to relieve my aggression, without even knowing what the matter was."

He laughed coldly and continued. "I mulled over it for quite awhile, knowing a talent like that could definitely _not_ go to waste. Of course, I let your sister in on what I had discovered, but I let her think that her 'birthday gift' for you was her idea. But do not forget, little one, I will always be ahead of anyone, no matter how damn clever someone thinks they are."

You kept your eyes downcast, which seemed to anger him, and you jumped as he shouted at you.

"Look at me!" His green eyes were full of anger and malice, as was usual for him, but they also glittered darkly with something else. You were officially terrified; what "pleasure" you thought had been there was gone. Your face must have betrayed you, because Loki frowned, and (for what was probably the millionth time) you felt like he was reading your mind. Your _soul,_ even.

"Tell me, little one, why do you fear me so?" he asked, his voice a gentle growl. "What have I possibly done to make you so terrified of me?"

Feeling bile rise in your throat, you could barely squeak out, "you're really asking me?"

After a few moments, the bile lowered a bit, and you found your voice.

"Well, if I'm going to be honest, I have to say: you defeated what was Earth's mightiest heroes: the Avengers. You imprisoned people to do your bidding and kill them when they don't. You made my sister into your own personal breeding stock, not to mention take over what was once known as the greatest city in the world!"

You were on a roll and had no intention of stopping, no matter how dark Loki's face got. You had years of this building up and just had to let it out. "I've cleaned up countless messes of broken things and blood, as well as clean off my sister whenever she's received one of your 'punishments.' Plus, you have an army of shape shifting hellions that get their rocks off ripping humans apart! Knowing all of that, tell me why I _shouldn't _be afraid of you!"

Loki seemed stunned into silence, because he said nothing for a few brief moments. When he finally did, it was not what you were expecting. You had expected him to yell, scream, break things; hell, you halfway expected a severe punishment. Instead, he barely spoke above a whisper.

"But when have I ever hurt _you_?" he murmured. His eyes traveled about your face, causing heat to flood to your cheeks. He seemed to be searching for something. "When have I ever lifted a single finger against you?"

You let out a soft sigh. "You haven't, but-"

"Then you have no reason to fear me," he whispered, moving his face so close to yours that if you moved, your noses would touch. Your entire body felt electrified; each hair was standing on end. You were so close to him, you could smell his scent: a clean smell, like rain, mind, and lemon all rolled up into one, but it also had an air of danger, like leather or coffee. You both stood that way for what felt like an eternity, subconsciously daring the other to move. After awhile, Loki stepped back, and you felt air flood into your lungs.

"Have you seen the entirety of your rooms?" he asked, once again speaking as professionally as he could.

Since you had found your voice enough to yell at him, you noticed it was much easier to speak normally around him.

"Yes, for the most part," you said just as professionally as he. "I just can't seem to find the door for the actual bedroom."

Apparently you had said something quite funny, because Loki's face cracked into a wicked-looking grin.

"Excellent," he said mischievously, "That was my favorite part of the entire project and I was hoping I would be the one to show you. Come with me."

He held out the crook of his arm to you, while you gingerly accepted. It was a weird feeling. You had no idea, however, of the repercussions of accepting that tiny gesture.

Loki essentially waltzed you right out of your closet, both of you moving back into the main room with surprising agility and speed. He walked you both towards the center of the room, where the fireplace was located. His deft fingers quickly located a hidden switch, causing the fireplace and poufs to give way to the floor. You clutched Loki's arm a bit tighter as the floor trembled slightly; you hadn't felt the likes of a floor moving since you were 7 and living in California when an earthquake had hit. Up out of the middle of the floor came a huge, iron-wrought four poster bed, with black drapes and a dark, forest green bedspread.

"Oh," you said in awe, looking up at Loki. "I didn't realize."

Before he could answer you, the door to your bedroom swung open and in walked Ashley. She looked about your room, a nasty look upon her face, before her eyes landed on Loki, who's arm you were still clutching. Her eyes narrowed and you quickly let go.

"My love," she said, her voice a bit too sickly sweet. "I thought you weren't going to be back for a few more days?"

He crossed over to your sister and embraced her stiffly. "Darling, I just wanted to make sure that the renovations went according to plan."

"Besides," he continued, stepping away from her, "can you honestly say that you missed me?"

Your sisters cheeks flushed. "Of _course_ I missed you!" she said indignantly.

"Are you sure?" Loki questioned, his voice turning slightly dangerous. "Because if you had truly missed me, you would have stayed in our room where I commanded you to stay until I returned."

Ashley opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off.

"No, Ashley," he said angrily. "I will not tolerate petty jealousy. I have shown no one but you affection, made love to no one but _you_ for the past six years. I have given more gifts to you, gifts that were even more grandiose than this. If you can even call this a gift."

He waved a hand towards you. "Your sister knows well and good that if she does not assist in making my plans for total domination go well, this will ALL be taken away."

Your stomach clenched with fear. No, you did _not_ know that. It seemed as if he had kindly 'forgotten' to mention it. But neither of them paid you any attention, despite your sheet-white face.

"Now," he said to Ashley, "I expect you to be upstairs, in bed, _naked_ in twenty minutes. I have a few things to check upon, then I will return to our chamber."

With that, he swept from the room without a backwards glance. Ashley quickly followed suit, but before she left your room, she turned to you.

"I swear to all the gods, _, if you turn his affections from me," she warned, "I will make damn sure that all of this will be taken away. You will go back to being essentially a scullery maid, then I will sell you off to the highest bidder. Make no mistake about that, _sister_."

As she sped out of your room, you flopped down onto your bed. 'Honestly,' you thought to yourself, 'she acts like I _asked_ for this.' At that point in time, you would have rather gone on being your sister's maid than continue to be in your current situation. At least when you were her servant, she treated you somewhat nicely. This new reaction was not the way she normally acted at all.

However, instead of dwelling on it, you pushed your thoughts aside and turned to the stacks upon stacks of readable materials. Reading was always your favorite past time as a child, even more than singing, and you were going to make the most of having a library in your room, strings attached and threatening sisters or not.


	6. Punishment and Pleasure

**Author's Note: If you are suicidal, a self-harmer, or someone who could be triggered by abuse/mentioning self-harm, then I recommend you skip down to the bottom of this chapter, where I'll tell you about the important event that takes place here. **

* * *

_"_, run! Run as far as you can from here! Go! NOW!"_

It was as if someone had shouted into your ear, causing you to jump yourself awake. Rubbing your eyes of their sleepiness, you looked around your giant bedroom, still unbelieving that it was yours. You apparently had fallen asleep in the chaise the night before, the book you were reading laying on the coffee table, open. You leaned forward to grab it and start reading again, feeling a thin blanket fall off of you and onto the floor. You frowned. You didn't remember covering up last night. In fact, you didn't remember being on the chaise at all. You looked around again, just to make sure you didn't have any surprise visitors; to your deepest happiness, there was no one there. You squinted at the morning light pouring in from your huge window, but this time, you remembered that it was a hologram. However, you had absolutely no desire to start your... day?... off looking at something depressing. Yawning and standing up, you stretched like a cat and let out a soft squeal of relief. Shivering, you made your way over to your bathroom; the urge to go was quite urgent this morning.

As you finished washing up and dug around your closet looking for something to wear, you began thinking of the song you had chosen for the next dignitary meeting. It was a song you remembered quite clearly from your childhood, simply because your mother had constantly played it over and over again. Humming the tune as you dressed, you pulled on a pair of simple black slacks, a soft silver sweater, and a pair of black flats. You managed to get a wide-tooth comb through your snarled hair, but you felt like half of it went along with the comb. Still humming, you meandered out of your bathroom, stomach grumbling, and you jumped when you saw that your sister was sitting at your bar.

Doesn't anyone know how to knock or announce themselves around here? you thought to yourself. Feeling somewhat leery, you sat next to her and said a simple, "Hello."

She turned to you, sniffling slightly; her eyes were red and she was sporting a swollen, bruised throat. Your mouth opened in shock and her eyes welled up with tears.

Throwing herself into your arms, she sobbed, "I'm so sorry, Bug. I'm so sorry that I acted like a jealous little brat."

You gently pushed her up and patted her shoulder. "Ash, it's okay. I completely understand. If I were in your position, I probably would've acted the same way."

Ashley wiped away her tears and sniffled. "I'm supposed to be your big sister and here I am acting like a jealous little shit."

"You weren't THAT bad," you lied. Your sister, however, didn't seem to hear you.

"It's just that, with all this stress," she continued, "with supposedly being the one to bear Loki's child, it's hard not to get jealous when he looks at someone else. Like it's supposed to just be me and him, you know?"

You nodded, unsure of what to say.

"I'm sure he'll just throw me away like girls before," she said matter-of-factually, "once he gets what he wants. But I'm getting near 30 and it's going to start looking suspicious if I don't at least get pregnant. And _soon_."

She looked at you worriedly. "I feel like an old spinster compared to you and your innocence. I feel like once I age to a certain point, he'll get rid of me like a piece of garbage, and he'll instantly flock to you."

You placed your hand on top of hers, squeezing slightly.

"Ash," you said, not unkindly, "you forgot about one minor detail."

"What?"

"The _prophecy_, silly. He's not going to get rid of you so long as the prophecy is about _you_."

She sighed. "The thing is, Bug, I don't necessarily think that the prophecy is about me."

You frowned. "Why would you think that?"

Ashley rubbed her temples. "I overheard some of the prophecy by accident. It was about a year ago and Loki was conversing with some old crone I'd never seen before. Honestly, she was super, _super_ creepy. Anyways, Loki and the crone had been talking in one of the meeting rooms; I was trying to look for you, the power had gone out and you hadn't returned yet. When I found the open door, I heard semi-raised voices, one of which I knew was him." She shuddered slightly.

"He was going on and on about the child prophecy and she kept saying things like, 'she'll be wearing jewels' and other things. Well, none of the foreign dignitaries that still exist are women and none of the rich women that are still around are young enough to birth a child. And we both know when he found me, I wasn't exactly dripping with jewels."

"Dripping with something else," you quipped, raising an eyebrow and giving her a small smile.

For the first time in days, your sister's face broke into a full-fledged smile. In return, she playfully shrieked: "ME?! When Loki saw you, you smelled so bad, it was like a cow had rolled in pig shit, then sat in the sun for four days!"

With that, Ashley began to laugh. The thing about her was, once she started to laugh, it became infectious. Soon you were both howling with laughter, clinging to the bar for support, fat tears rolling down your faces. It was like the floodgates of a dam had opened: there was no stopping it once it started. You hadn't laughed like that in nearly eleven years, not since your mother had disappeared.

However, your laughter died away quite quickly, and you both sat there, wondering which of you should speak next. However, a servant arrived with your breakfast, interrupting your sisterly moment. You hadn't seen so much food, just for you, _ever_. Piled on plates, there were three differently cooked styles of eggs, a pile of waffles, toast, sausages, and what suspiciously looked like fried fish. Another tray was brought in with fruit, tea, coffee, and your favorite juice. You asked the servants to set the trays down on the coffee table, then offered for your sister to eat with you.

"I'm sorry, Bug," she shook her head sadly, "I'm required every morning to eat with him, unless I'm told otherwise."

As she walked to your door, she turned to you. "I hope you find happiness, dearest _," she said kindly. "No matter where your path in life leads you."

With that, she exited your room, leaving you all alone with your confused thoughts.

* * *

After breakfast, you decided to visit the band. Brushing crumbs from your sweater, you put everything neatly back onto the trays. It was such a shame to let all of that food go to waste; you knew what it was like, having to steal scraps from leftover food off of Loki's and Ashley's plates. That's when you had a sudden stroke of thoughtfulness; searching about your room, you managed to scrounge up a piece of paper and what appeared to be a quill and ink. You managed to get a legible, albeit chicken-scratch-looking, note written to the servant who brought your breakfast. You asked the servant to take the untouched food and give it to those who hadn't gotten enough to eat today and smiled at the looks you imagined would be on someone's face. You quickly put the good, untouched food onto a few plates, then went to wash up. You really didn't want to be all crumby and messy in front of the band.

When you came out, the trays were gone, but Loki was sitting on your chaise. In one hand, he was reading your note, while the fingers on the other hand drummed on the edge of the lounge with increasing impatience. You managed to not fling yourself to your knees, but instead walked slowly towards him, willing your heart to stop racing at any time. As you drew closer, he didn't look up, but seemed to be waiting for you to come to him. You stopped a few feet short of the lounge and stood there for a moment, debating on how you should greet him. For some odd reason, he was making your tongue tie itself into knots.

"I was unaware that you have such a... _bleeding_ heart," he said, his voice filled with sarcasm. His emerald eyes twinkled darkly and there was a dangerous smile forming on his lips.

"I'm sorry," you said, "I didn't mean to offend anyone. I just know what it's like to be hungry most of the time. I don't want people to fear me or think I'm stuck up just because I rose above my old station."

"Your station?" Loki raised a thin eyebrow. "What station did you 'rise above,' as you so put it?"

"W-well," you stammered, disliking the tone in his voice, "servitude."

Loki's eyebrow went even higher and he studied you for a long moment. Once again, you felt like he was reading your mind, and quite frankly, it was starting to annoy you. At long last, he stood from the chaise and stretched before reaching out his hand to you.

"Come here, little one," he demanded.

Without warning, you felt your body jerk forward; it was like you were moving like a puppet's doll, with no visible strings. Loki's hand was still outstretched and you felt nearly weightless. You were essentially zoomed over to Loki, where you seemed to be hanging a few inches above the ground. This, however, meant you were eye-to-eye with Loki and it wasn't all together pleasant. He seemed to be looking at you like you were an interesting insect, but he hadn't quite decided if you should be allowed to fly away or be squished.

"Let me tell you something," Loki hissed, his emerald eyes gleaming. He shot you towards your huge glass window, where you landed just inches away from.

Hell, that HURT, you thought to yourself, scrambling to try and get off the floor. However, Loki was faster; he shot across the room as only a god could, not giving your brain any amount of time to process before he was hauling you up painfully by your ponytail. Waving his hand, he forced the hologram away, showing the real New York City. He painfully shoved your face into the glass and all you could see were the pieces of rubble laying all across the city streets, like leaves shaken from a tree.

"If I were to tell you to throw yourself out of this window," Loki hissed savagely in your ear, "you would do so."

Tossing you by your hair painfully towards the bathroom, he stalked after you.

Picking you up by the collar of your shirt, he continued, "If I commanded you to slit your wrists in your bathtub, you would do so." He tossed you once again, this time even more painfully, causing you to crash into the bar, knocking over stools.

"If I told you to dance on this bar for some fat foreign dignitary and his little whore wife, _you would do so_."

Once again, you felt your body lifted by magic and tossed around like a child's rag doll. This last time he tossed you, your face landed mere inches away from the heat of the fire. However, you had thrown your hands out to catch yourself, and your wrist caught on the edge of the brick. You cried out in pain as you felt it snap, but Loki took no notice of this.

"If I said I wanted to have you right here, in front of your fireplace, you would do so."

Your heart began to thump loudly in your ears and you had become absolutely terrified. NOW he was giving you a real reason to fear him and you had a feeling he was doing so on purpose. He bent down to you and pulled you up by your shirt, so you were half laying, half sitting on the plush white rug, cradling your wrist and sobbing.

"Understand this, pet," he said, dangerously close to your face, "You haven't left servitude, and you _never will_. Everyone here on Midgard is at my command. All of you are my servants. You will always be one of them, no matter where you sleep."

Your (e/c) eyes met his green ones and what you saw in their depths made your stomach crawl. The Christians had it right, there truly WAS a devil, and his name was Loki.

Something changed in his face; the lines of what you could only describe as madness were gone and the depths of his eyes were once again emerald pools. Without warning, he snatched up your broken wrist, causing you to shriek in pain.

"Hold still," he commanded and you did, but not without gasping with pain.

As he held your wrist tightly, you felt it burn hot. Too hot. It felt like your bones would just melt away; hell, they would turn to ash before too long. You felt a 'snap' and cried out, which Loki ignored. Following the snap, you felt your wrist rapidly cool. In fact, it was like frostbite had gotten to your nerves, somewhat deadening the pain. Your tears eventually stopped, though adrenaline was still coursing through your veins, and you knew that part of that was due to his nearness. When he finally let go of your wrist, you felt only a slight ache, but your heart still thumped loudly, betraying you. He didn't quite let you go yet; instead, he was staring hard at your wrist.

"Is the pain gone?" he asked gruffly.

You nodded. "Y-yes."

"Yes, SIR," he corrected you harshly, before pulling your face up to look at him. "Remember this lesson, little one. There will not be room for another one."

You nodded. "Y-yes, s-sir."

He smirked. "Shall we see how well you've learned your lesson, my little one?"

Your eyes widened with fear and he laughed coldly. "I see your fear was intensified by your little lesson. Good; a dose of fear is healthy in _servants_. Now then, I want you to kiss me."

The look on your face must have betrayed your thoughts, because Loki laughed again.

"Your sister will know NOTHING of this, unless I so choose to tell her," he said, echoing your thoughts. "I have given her everything, while she has given me _nothing_. If I so choose to find another, I will."

You swallowed hard and felt your mouth go dry. How the hell were you supposed to _kiss_ him?! He was the one your sister loved, not you. But yet your stomach had once again filled with butterflies at the thought of his lips on yours, despite the aching you felt all over. Making quick of it, you placed the lightest of kisses on the side of his mouth. Well, that's what you had planned on doing. Instead, as soon as your mouth neared his, he turned his face slightly, put his hand at the back of your head, and tightly pressed his lips against yours.

Your eyes widened in surprise, but as you felt the gentle nudge of his tongue against your mouth, you closed your eyes and let your body give way to pleasure. His mouth was soft, something you weren't expecting from someone so hard and cold; his tongue gently danced against yours, coaxing it to come play. Without realizing it, you had begun to melt in his arms; the toned muscles pulled you closer to him and you inhaled his delicious scent. You felt him pull you gently up to standing without breaking the kiss. Your veins were filled with fire, making your body quake slightly. You felt the hard, lean muscles of his chest gently press against yours, while your fingers reached up to tangle in his raven hair. All too soon, though, it was over, and when the two of you broke apart, you were both breathing heavily. Looking down into your face, his deep eyes glittered with desire and when he spoke, his voice was at least two octaves lower.

"Now _that's_ a good girl," he smiled devilishly, making you blush. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?" You opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Feeling like a fool, you quickly shook your head.

"I would _very_ much like to do that again," he said, making your heart trill with excitement. "But as it is, I am late to a meeting with my commanding officers."

He brushed a loose tendril of your hair behind your ear, his mouth following after. "I _will_ have you one of these days, little one. I do not care whom I have to lie to, maim, cheat, or kill. I will have you in my bed, where I will make you scream my name over and over again, until you come completely undone."

You gave a little shiver; his husky voice in your ear, the ghost of his mouth on yours, and the image that had just popped into your head was almost too much for you to bear. Loki gently nipped your earlobe, while placing his thin fingers at your throat. You swallowed hard, remembering the way your sister's throat looked, but his touch was like a cool breeze. His little nips made their way to the side of your neck that wasn't being touched, sending rounds upon rounds of heat to your lower belly.

His lips soon returned to your ear and he whispered, "I hope you have a lovely evening tonight, my pet. I hope you'll sleep well; you'll have need of a good rest before too long."

And with that, he stalked majestically out of the room, his dark leather coat fluttering out behind him like bat's wings. When the door closed, you collapsed onto the nearest pouf, holding your hand to your heart and breathing heavily.

"Oh hell, _," you said to yourself, "What did you get yourself into?" You knew damn well that Loki would very well end up telling Ashley what happened between the two of you, just to cause chaos between you and her. He WAS the God of Mischief, after all.

Moving gingerly, you decided to forgo visiting the band today and instead, you were going to take the hottest bath you could possibly stand, and try to NOT think of the way Loki's lips felt against yours.

* * *

**Author's Note: For those who skipped to the bottom, your character was tossed about the room quite painfully a few times, while Loki asserted his dominance that all of humanity are his slaves. To make sure you learned your lesson, he made you kiss him (which of course, got things all fired up.) I kind of feel like I made Loki a bit too bipolar in this chapter. I've been trying to move the story along, but create a bit of tension before the major events start happening. Plus, instead of writing him on a firsthand basis as a lover from the get-go, it's kind of hard to figure out exactly what his moods are like towards servants and the like. Feedback, please? :)**


	7. Gentle Mother

***Loki's Point of View***

Once the door clicked shut behind Loki, he leaned up against the nearest wall and took a deep breath. He had lost control today, on an innocent no less, and she was going to end up being his undoing if he wasn't careful. _ was too naive, too innocent, for his current liking. He wanted her to be a bit more... devious... before he would have his way with her. Plus, there was the whole prophecy issue to work out. But he really had not intended to go in there and harm her, especially not over something as trivial as letting the servants eat her leftover food; all he had wanted to do was see how well she was enjoying her new lodging. However, she needed to realize that everyone, including every single one of those damnable foreign dignitaries that were coming, were all servants to his every whim.

He wasn't actually late to his meeting, in fact, he would probably end up being early, as usual. This little interruption, however, might end up delaying him a bit. His vanity and lust had gotten the better of him, which was why he had commanded her to kiss him in the first place. Then again, he was still ten times more intelligent than his emotionally-driven brother, which was how he was able to request just a kiss. What he had not planned on was the insatiable pleasure that had coursed through his veins when _ kissed him; well, when he tricked her into a mouth-on-mouth kiss. When they had kissed, it was like he could feel her soul melding into his; Loki had kissed, and done more with, many women, but none of them brought forth the same feeling that his kiss with _ did.

He heard her voice through the door, "Oh hell, _. What did you just get yourself into?"

This caused the God of Mischief to smirk and wonder what sort of COPING mechanism she was planning on doing. He heard her feet putter patter towards the back of her room, to where the bathroom was located and promptly decided he was going to follow her, albeit unseen. Breathing deeply, Loki closed his eyes, calling upon one of his many, many talents with magic. When he opened them again, he was standing in her bathroom, watching her start to run a hot bath. He held his lust in check as he watched her peel off her sweater, showing a ratty, grey-colored bra that had to be far too old to do any good. He made a mental note to have someone pick up some decent lingerie for her; then again, if the way things were happening sped up any faster, she might not ever have need of clothes. He saw a few bruises from their earlier encounter and felt a slight twinge of guilt, which was quickly dissipated as he continued to watch her.

She next peeled off her black slacks and flat shoes, revealing her burn-scarred legs. This took Loki aback a bit, simply due to the fact that he had never heard anything about her being harmed before; the flesh on her legs was shiny in most places, much like a blister, but much more taught than he would have expected; most of the skin was a few shades redder than the rest of her body. The scars ended in the middle of her thighs, but he spotted a few smaller scars on her lower back and hips. The desire to feel her scars was overwhelming, but it was quickly squashed as he watched her pick up her clothes off of the floor, fold them gently, and walk across the room to her closet. He had never noticed her slight limp before, probably because she had always gone about her duties essentially unseen, by him at least. Her left foot curved inwards ever so slightly, giving her a slight duck-footed limp. This caused a strange emotion Loki couldn't quite place to tug at his heartstrings, but he ignored it.

As _ peeled off her undergarments, he watched her, fascinated with her body shape; of course, he had plenty of women, and men, of all shapes and sizes in his bed, but none quite so delicious-looking as _. Her waist was well defined from her wide hips and thick thighs and her glorious rump looked as if it could balance a goblet of wine atop it. Her breasts were definitely larger than her sister's, they hung slightly lower than he was accustomed to, but her nipples stood at attention in the slightly brisk bathroom air, almost calling out to Loki. In all actuality, her body reminded him of some Italian Renaissance paintings, and sculptures, he had seen at the museum in Germany. He watched her slowly step into the immaculate tub, wincing slightly as her scars met the hot water. As _ began to unwind, easing her bruised body into relaxation, Loki's desire for her mounted. Her soft, innocent form was so unbelievably tempting. He was unsure if she had ever been taken by another being before, but that was no matter, for even if she had, he would clear their name(s) from her head so fast, it would make her head spin. He started to slowly stalk up to her, wondering how he should reveal himself, so as not to scare her, when she began to hum; the tune stopped him dead in his tracks. It was so familiar to him, but he wasn't quite sure where he had heard it before. The tune was soft and lilting, with beautiful highs and soft lows. And that was before she even started to gently sing.

"Gentle mother, font of mercy,  
Save our sons from war, we pray.  
Stay the swords and stay the arrows,  
Let them know a better day."

Loki realized it was not the same song the Midgardian human children used to sing to his mother during their wars, but it was reminiscent of it. Despite his lust, Loki wanted to hear more from her lips. It was like an addiction for him; her lovely lips forming such beautiful words and her voice sounding much like the Valkyries that would sing when taking fallen soldiers to Valhalla. Loki chose to sit and listen to her, perching on the very end of the bathtub, close enough that if she were able to see or feel him, his leather would be brushing against the fine hairs on her arm.

"Gentle Mother, strength of women,  
Help our daughters through this fray.  
Soothe the wrath and tame the fury,  
Teach us all a kinder way.

Gentle Mother, font of mercy,  
Save our sons from war, we pray.  
Stay the swords and stay the arrows,  
Let them know a better day."

With that, _ laid her head back against the tub and closed her eyes. The tub had no bubbles in it at the moment, so Loki could see nearly everything from head to toe. As he stared at her naked flesh, he couldn't quite understand what it was about this young Midgardian woman that made him so frazzled. He had been with far more beautiful women, who probably knew a hell of a lot more than she when it came to the art of sex. Was it due to her innocence? Her naivete? Loki was seriously starting to doubt his well-being when he remembered he had to get to his meeting. As he unfolded himself from the tub, he saw that she had fallen asleep and her head was slowly inching down towards the water. Smirking at her and shaking his head he thought about how humans were such careless, unknowing creatures. If he walked away, it was entirely possible that she would drown in her own bathtub. However, the thought of that made Loki's stomach clench, so he drained her bath water, then grabbed a huge, fluffy towel and wrapped her in it. He was not only strong, even by some Asgardian rank, he also had inhuman speed, so in the time it would've taken a human to get out of the tub, wrap in a towel and walk out the door, he had already placed her onto her chaise lounge and was already halfway to the meeting room, where it appeared he was actually late.

* * *

**Author's Note: This chapter and the next were originally going to be one whole one, but it was getting far too long with all of the content the next chapter is going to contain. So this one is essentially just a little filler piece to drive some of my readers insane. (I'm looking at you, Megalus and my Resident Cat Lady!) The song "you" are singing is Sansa's Hymn from the Song of Ice and Fire series, but I highly recommend you look it up on Youtube. My personal favorite is the version done by Karliene; go check it out!**


	8. Marked

"_, are you okay? Hey, wake up!"

Your eyes fluttered opened unwilfully, but the incessant voice would not leave you alone. Standing over you was Daniel, concern apparent in his dark brown eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked again. "What happened to you?"

Glancing down, you realized that you were once again laying on your chaise lounge, while having no memory of ever getting there. You were wrapped in a fluffy towel, which slipped slightly, showing a few bruises from earlier that day.

Wincing slightly as you stood up, you answered with a smile, "Of course I'm okay! I just happened to trip while walking over to the bathroom and I fell against the bar."

Daniel glanced at the bar and raised an eyebrow. "Did you happen to tap into some of the booze, too?"

You grinned apologetically and shook your head. "No, I haven't touched it. I just happen to be kind of a klutz."

Daniel shook his head. "Well, I just came by to see if you were all right, considering you never showed up for practice."

"Blast! I had every intention of doing so, but I tripped and fell on the way to a bath, and I must have fallen asleep. I'm so sorry!" You felt badly about missing practice, but the bath seemed to have helped your bruised, achy muscles and felt a little of the guilt disappear. That's when you remembered that you were standing in front of a man in nothing but a towel.

"Well, anyways Daniel, I'll be there tomorrow. But I did have a change of mind about the song," you told him, remembering your last coherent thought you had before dozing off in the bathtub.

Daniel's eyebrow went a bit higher. "Which one? Let me guess, it's something that might piss off his highness a bit."

You shook your head vigorously, which made your head pound. "No, at least I don't think it will."

"And if it does?"

You shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "I've dealt with worse."

Daniel scoffed and put a hand on your bare shoulder. "You have more balls than most men I used to know, _. But remember, we are losing good people more and more each day. I would hate to see you suffer the same fate."

You were slightly shocked at this revelation. After all, Daniel had always given you the impression that he only mildly tolerated you. Either way, you smiled and told him thank you.

"No problem, girl. Just take care of yourself, all right?" With that, Daniel turned and walked leisurely out of your room. As he walked, you studied him: his walking style and casual dress suggested that he was laid-back, but the intensity in which he had spoken to you showed that he hid a lot of his emotions. It made you feel rather strange, having Daniel show you that much emotion, other than impatience.

Sighing, you went to hang up your towel and hunted for some casual clothes to hunker down and read in. After throwing on, what you believed to be silk, pajamas, you hunted for some pain medication for your sore muscles and pounding head. As you glanced around the room, you looked at the hologram window, discovering that the illusion of dawn had not returned after Loki's punishment. It was dark outside and you saw a few lights on in the surrounding area. However, it was probably one-eighths of the lights that used to be on in New York City at night.

"I wonder how Loki did that?" you wondered out loud. You waved your arm in front of the window, but nothing changed. You tried waving your arm from different distances away from the window, as well as wider swoops. You had just finished trying running from one end of the window to another, waving your arms frantically (although not expecting it to work), when you heard someone clear their throat behind you.

For what seemed like the billionth time since you had moved into the Tower, you jumped. This time, however, you started to speak before realizing who was standing there.

"Holy crap, does _anyone_ in this place know how to knock or announce themsel-" you turned and stopped speaking. Once again, Loki had made his way into your room and, quite frankly, it was starting to annoy you.

"I-I'm sorry, sir," you stammered. "I spoke without thinking."

He seemed in a much more pleasant mood than earlier that day and he waved away your apology with a wave of his hand. Which, as it happened, also simultaneously changed your hologram window back to the illusion of dawn.

"You are forgiven, little one," he said softly, a small smile playing about his lips. "But, if you will permit me, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course, sir!" you exclaimed, pleased he was not angry with you.

"What were you trying to do to your window?" he asked, a thin eyebrow quirked.

If it were possible, you would have blushed from head to toe. "I, uh, was trying to do the hand-wave thing you had done earlier, sir. I was trying to figure out how you changed it."

"Ah," he said, seeming to contain his laughter, and doing it somewhat well. "As it is, the hologram illusions are only able to be removed by me, unless otherwise specified. Would you like to be able to see the outside world, instead of just the illusion that was created just for you?"

"Oh, no, sir," you said immediately, unthinking. "I just found it interesting how you were able to do it."

He seemed pleased with your answer and did not remark on it. "I came to see how you were feeling about your punishment earlier. Was the lesson sufficient enough for you to learn?"

"Y-yes, sir, of course it was. You were very," you winced slightly, "thorough."

"Good. I am glad to hear that there was no more mistaking of your station," he said, seeming to be quite content and turned to leave.

As you let out a soft sigh of relief, however, he turned. "I do have one last question to ask you, little one," he stated.

You waited for him to ask, but without warning, he launched himself at you, pushing you (slightly roughly) against the wall, and placing his hands on either side of your head. You felt his leather-clad body pressed slightly against yours and felt your heart begin to race as his mouth traveled to your ear.

"Why was that man in here earlier?" he hissed in your ear.

If it weren't for the situation, you might have laughed. As it was, you deemed it rather risky to do so, and told him the truth. "He woke me up because I missed my singing practice. I took a hot bath after you... after my punishment and I must have fallen asleep."

You looked straight into Loki's eyes as you said this, daring him to read your mind (which you still had not yet confirmed). He seemed slightly pleased with your answer, but did not immediately move away. In fact, it almost seemed like his body was moving infinitesimally closer to yours; you could feel the heat between the two of you intensify. You both stood there for a few moments, neither of you moving, wondering who was going to move or say something first.

"Damn you." He murmured so low that you almost did not hear it.

"Me?" you asked, bewildered.

"Yes," he said, "you."

"What did I do?" you asked incredulously.

His emerald eyes met yours and you repressed a shudder of either repulsion or desire, it was hard to tell which. "It is your innocence," he growled. "Your innocence is going to end up getting you into a lot of trouble in the future."

"I am not innocent!" you said indignantly, causing Loki to chuckle.

"Yes, little one, you are. No matter what you have said, thought, or even done, you are completely innocent and essentially naive."

You frowned, but said nothing. Loki was no longer looking at you, but at the wall near your head, apparently lost in thought. An overwhelming urge to both pull Loki onto and push him off of you had come and you weren't sure which way it was going to go. Instead, you chose to press slightly forward, leaving it up to him to interpret it. Your movement snapped him out of his daze and his eyes seemed nearly black; with desire or anger, it was hard to tell which.

"Going somewhere?" he asked dangerously.

"I was just... shifting," you lied lamely.

"Oh, pet," he grinned wickedly, "you never 'just' do something, do you? You may seem innocent, but you're actually going to try and play a game, aren't you? I hardly doubt that I need to remind you that I am always steps ahead in front of everyone."

You frowned again, this time with confusion. What could he possibly be talking about? You did not have time to think about this, however, before Loki's lips were on yours again. This time, his mouth was nearly ravishing yours, forcing your lips apart and making your tongue dance with his. His hands went to your throat a little roughly, but not causing pain. You both pressed your bodies together, feeling the friction build. When Loki's mouth left yours, you groaned just the slightest fraction, making him chuckle.

"Greedy little one, aren't you?" he growled, his mouth trailing to your throat.

His teeth met the flesh of your neck again and bit down, not hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough to make you yelp. This, however, only seemed to entertain him further.

"Such tender flesh," he commented, working his way around your throat. "Soon you will know both pain and pleasure, and you will be begging me for it."

"What if I beg you now?" The question left your lips before you had time to think.

Loki had finally gotten to your other ear and nibbled it a bit before whispering, "You would not dare to incur the wrath of your sister. And you have much to do before I would even consider letting you beg me."

His mouth finally left your flesh, making you feel feverish and flushed. He took a few steps towards your chaise, and gestured to it. "I do, however, have a requirement of you before I can allow you to continue using the gifts I have given you."

You took a deep breath to steady yourself before asking, "What requirement, sir?"

"Sit, and I shall show you."

You did as asked, but were slightly hesitant. He wasn't going to ask you to harm yourself, was he? Worse yet, was he going to ask you to harm your sister, or someone else? You were shaken out of your thoughts as you felt him grab a fistful of your pajama top and rip it open, exposing your bra-clad breasts.

He waved away your shrieks and unfolded your hands from your breasts. "This is not for any sexual pleasure, little one," he said softly. "Please do not fight me, this will make the pain worse, and if I have to start over, you will be sorry."

Pain? Oh, no, another punishment?

"No, not a punishment," he said, placing a long fingernail just above your cleavage. "I am going to mark you as mine. This is to be kept secret from your sister and the rest of the world. I refuse to have you given away, despite what your sister thinks she can demand of me."

"Wait. Ashley wants me sent away?" you asked, completely dumbfounded.

Loki continued to speak, but your mind stayed lingering on that one fact: your sister wanted you sent away. Tears welled in your eyes and you noticed Loki had stopped speaking, but you payed him no mind. The one person you thought you would always be able to count upon wanted to give you away to some stranger. You barely felt Loki's touch at the beginning of your cleavage, and didn't really notice anything until you noticed that your flesh began to itch. Glancing down, you gave a shriek: about three inches of your flesh was bubbling, warping, and turning an infectious-looking green.

"Do not move," Loki commanded softly.

His emerald eyes were focused upon your flesh intently, softly tracing a pattern into it with his nail. The itching was nearly unbearable for you and to keep yourself from itching and shrieking, you flung your hands to the sides of the chaise and gripped it tightly. The itching was starting to subside, but now it was burning. In fact, you could smell meat cooking, and you knew it was your own skin. The smell made you quite nauseous and you told Loki so.

"I am nearly finished, pet," he crooned. Suddenly, the burning quickly subsided and was replaced with the familiar cooling sensation Loki used on your wrist earlier that day.

With a small grunt of satisfaction, Loki announced that he was done. Looking back down at your skin, you saw that Loki's tracings had formed themselves into a strange, emerald-green symbol traced with black. To you, it looked like two snakes intertwined into an S-shape, with a broken infinity symbol in the middle. You touched it, expecting it to throb like a tattoo would, but instead it felt like normal skin.

"This symbol is mine, and only mine," Loki said breathily. Looking at him, you realized he looked weak and shaky, with a pale sheen of sweat glistening on his face. He had sat down onto the end of the chaise, rubbing his temples with his hand.

"Are you all right?" you asked tentatively. Loki's head snapped up and you saw the strange darkness in them again. After a second, he blinked, and his eyes returned to their usual green.

"I am fine," he snipped, trying to stand up. "As I said, this symbol marks you as mine. No one can buy you, sell you, trade you, or do anything to you that I do not command. If anyone does, wrath will come down upon them, the likes of which they have never seen."

Before you could get the chance to ask a question, he continued with, "This symbol cannot be removed by anyone's hand, except mine. It is impervious to all forms of Midgardian removals, as well as any sort of powers anyone else, except me, possesses. I will remind you that as I can remove it, I also can remove you."

He stated this matter-of-factually, as if he had shut down all emotions and was reciting from a book. He did not seem to find this enjoyable to discuss, for there was no smile on his face, nor any anger in his eyes.

"I would also refrain from telling anyone about the mark, for now, unless your life depends on it. Your sister has never been marked, she does not know that I am even able to do so."

"Why not?" you asked curiously.

It was as if someone flipped a switch in Loki, and his usual smirk came to light. "As if I need to answer to you, servant. Do you need a reminder in what you are to call me?"

You were taken aback at this sudden change in him. Was it possible that he suffered from some sort of godly personality disorder? You quickly told him no, sir, and apologized.

"I must go now," he told you. "You have aggravated much of me today, and since I cannot fulfill certain needs with you, I must do so someplace else."

He strode away from your room; a man, well GOD, on a mission. Unfortunately, you knew all too well what needs he had to fulfill and who was going to be fulfilling them. If it weren't for the fact that she wanted to get rid of you, you would have felt sorry for Ashley.


	9. Gods and Monsters

_Three Days Later_

***Loki's Point Of View***

Loki was tapping his nails impatiently upon the table in front of him. He was surrounded by twelve of his highest-ranking soldiers, both human and Chitauri. The most recent news that was brought to him was starting to anger him.

"What do you mean you had problems with the prisoner transport?" he asked calmly, but the soldiers could feel his anger brewing behind it. Beside him sat Ashley, who stiffened more with every click of Loki's nails.

The human soldier nearest to the door, an Army corporal from the looks of his badge, answered confidently. "We were attacked by a band of rebels, my lord. We disposed of them easily, but we nearly lost the prisoner."

"Lost him how?" Loki demanded, his anger starting to unleash.

"He tried to escape, sir," the human soldier told him. "We lost at least five men subduing him again. The leader of the rebel band was someone very close to the prisoner, a man named Buchanan Barnes."

"Barnes? The Winter Soldier for H.Y.D.R.A?"

"The one and the same, sir," the soldier grinned, revealing rather pointed teeth not seen in humans. "We managed to incapacitate Barnes and brought him back here to the Tower, sir, after we took the prisoner to H.Y.D.R.A."

Loki sighed pleasurably and leaned back in his chair. "Excellent news, Corporal...?"

"Corporal Boyd, sir."

"Well, Boyd, I believe you have just brought yourself to the rank of sergeant," Loki said, giving Boyd a small smile.

Boyd bowed. "Thank you, sir."

Loki turned to the rest of his soldiers. "What other news have the rest of you brought me."

An aged general, Bishon, spoke up. "Well, sir, we have received a rumor about another, larger band of rebels rising up somewhere in New Jersey. From what I understand, they have called themselves the Wayne Initiative."

Before Loki could speak, Bishon continued, much to Loki's contempt. "As it remains, sir, we have only heard rumors, but to be on the safe side, I have sent a few undercover men to discover this band of rebels."

Loki snorted. "The 'Wayne Initiative?' Does anyone care to explain to me who this 'Wayne' could quite possibly be?"

The Chitauri next to Bishon spoke up. "J.A.R.V.I.S. has informed us that there are a number of Wayne possibilities, sir. However, the most likely one is a billionaire named Bruce Wayne, who was believed to have been a 'hero' called Batman. Unfortunately, there have been no records of this Batman, nor any of Bruce Wayne, currently being active."

"As such," Loki interrupted, getting annoyed. "You should look for any other names this man might have used before and see if J.A.R.V.I.S. comes up with any records."

"Yes, my liege," the Chitauri half-bowed.

"If that remains everything, I adjourn this meeting. The heads of Europe will be here within the next eight hours and there is much planning to be done."

Loki stood, Ashley following suit, and everyone knelt as they passed. Once they left the room, Ashley began to head towards their bedroom, but Loki went in the opposite direction. Frowning, Ashley rushed after him.

"My love, where are you going?" she inquired, placing a hand on his arm.

Loki stopped and glanced at her hand on his arm. "Why are you touching me, Ashley?"

Ashley's hand moved so fast, it was almost like she was stung. "I'm sorry."

"As for where I am going, I believe that information is of no use to you." As he whirled to leave, Ashley put her hands on her hips.

"You're going to see HER, aren't you?" she demanded, her loving demeanor shattering. "What could you possibly want with _? I saw the bite marks you left on her! You cannot tell me that she means nothing to you."

Loki paused in his walking and turned his head back to her. "I am going to check on the preparations for the arriving European heads. Do I need to remind you not to question me as if you command me?"

Ashley opened her mouth and began to speak, but Loki interrupted her. "No, I am done with your jealous ways. _I am the ruler of Midgard_. Even if I loved you, I would not tolerate your constant questioning ways and ugly jealousy. As it remains, you have _failed_ to give me the child I desire, and you have very little time left. If I have chosen another to come into your place once you have gone, it is because I command it."

Ashley flushed an ugly, purple-red color as her eyes brimmed with tears. "You... you don't love me?"

Loki laughed coldly. "_Love_ you? I can hardly _tolerate_ you most days. You have become what I believe the Midgardians call a shrew."

Tears streamed down Ashley's face, dripping onto the floor, but she did not try to wipe them away. As she watched Loki walk away from her, she clenched her fists into tightly and whispered, "I'm going to get rid of her, then you'll love me again. You'll love me again, I know it."

* * *

***Your Point Of View***

Your nerves were racked and your palms would not quit sweating. If you had eaten spaghetti and worn a sweater, you would have been like the guy in that one Eminem song. As it remained, you had not eaten all day and there was no way you would have gotten away with wearing a sweater. In fact, you didn't even think that you owned one. For your performance for the European visitors, you had chosen a dress not unlike the one you had worn for your first performance. It was slinky, sleeveless, and clingy, but this time it was in a jewel-tone shade of (your favorite color). It glittered as you walked, almost like tiny jewels had been sewn into the fabric of the dress itself.

You wiped your hands on a rag that Daniel had handed to you and you thanked him. In the past three days, you had not seen, nor heard, from Loki. Which, in all honesty, you were thankful for: you had been so busy practicing your set that you had barely eaten or slept. You knew you had to get this one right, or else you would face Loki's wrath. Again.

"We have five minutes, _," Daniel told you and you nodded, trying to take deep breaths. Ever since he had witnessed you in the towel, Daniel had been a lot friendlier, and rarely got impatient with you. He offered constructive criticism, instead of just criticism, and didn't sigh when you thought about changing the song for the set.

Once the outer lights dimmed, you knew it was time. You wiped your hands off one more time, took a deep breath, and changed your face into what you hoped would pass for a soft, demure smile. The stage had finally gotten curtains to hide behind, so your entrance was a little more dramatic. From what you could see, this crowd was bigger than your last (without adding in the European leaders). You even saw the little serving-boy from a few days ago hidden way in the back of the crowd. Loki was stationed directly in the center of the room, of course, but your sister was no longer next to him. Instead, she sat with her back turned to you, and she seemed to be engaged in some internal debate with Loki.

"Good evening, everyone," you said breathlessly. Trying to calm your nerves, you smiled a little bigger. "Thank you everyone for coming here tonight, including our special guests from Europe."

You tried to remember everything you had planned on quickly discussing and tried not to make a fool of yourself.

"I would just like you all to know that any mistakes made by myself, or by the band, should not reflect back on our lord, Loki. Unfortunately for the rest of us, we are not gods like him, and are therefore imperfect."

The audience laughed a bit and even Loki bared a small smirk. You tried to smile, but your sister had not turned around, nor even acknowledged you. You felt a jab in your heart as your sister continued to ignore you, but you continued on.

"Without further adieu, I present to you all my first set that wasn't a total surprise."

Signaling to the band, you took a deep breath and closed your eyes. As the music washed over you, much like the first night, you blocked out everything except for the pain you felt over the loss of everything you had before Loki came to Earth, including the death of the love between you and Ashley.

"_I'd catch the next train going anywhere if I knew you where there_  
_I'd swim across the ocean and sail the seven seas, just to have you here with me _  
_All I ever asked for and all I ever wanted now has flashed before my eyes _  
_So many broken promises when you run out of time_

_The morning that you left I felt a pain no one could heal, I wish it wasn't real _  
_And I can still remember all the laughter that we shared, life is so unfair _  
_You lifted me up and fueled my dreams now yesterday's gone _  
_When I breathe I whisper your name in memory, 'cause yesterday's gone _  
_But I know I can move on from that cold December rain, straight from my heart _  
_I wish you could see how I've changed_

_How can I get through another show with out your face in the crowd?_  
_Still feel that chill in the air when the lights go down _  
_Nothing can be said to make this all go away, just take it day by day _  
_Every time I fall behind I think about your smile and I go another mile_

_You lifted me up and fueled my dreams now yesterday's gone _  
_When I breathe I whisper your name in memory, 'cause yesterday's gone _  
_And I know I can move on from that cold December rain, straight from my heart _  
_I wish you could see how I've changed_

_The world still turns _  
_What does it mean?_  
_I silence the scream, It feels like I'm falling down _  
_What does it mean?_  
_What does it mean?_

_You lifted me up and fueled my dreams now yesterday's gone _  
_When I breathe I whisper your name in memory cause yesterday's gone _  
_You opened my eyes and set me free, but yesterday's gone _  
_Now the wind whispers your name in memory, 'cause yesterday's gone _  
_And I know I can move on from that cold December rain, straight from my heart _  
_I wish you could see how I've changed_"

As soon as you hit the last note of the song, a dull roar began in the dining hall. All but two people were on their feet applauding; Loki, for all he ever did while you sang was examine you like a bug, and Ashley, who was still sitting as stiffly as before you started the song.

Plastering a large smile on, you laughed slightly. "Thank you everyone for your kind applause. It means a lot for me to be up here entertaining for you and it means a lot to me that I have had the full support of my sister, Ashley, and my liege."

With that, you gave a slight bow to Loki and your sister, the latter of which had finally turned around. If it were possible to die just from the look someone gave you, Ashley would have killed you twice. Your face briefly contorted into a grimace, but you recovered quickly.

"Again, thank you, everyone. I have one more song to perform for you before your delicious dinner is served, so hopefully you'll be distracted from your bellies long enough to make it," you joked with a wink. A few more people laughed, which was what you wanted all along. You wanted your sister and Loki to see that you were helpful, so hopefully neither of them would want you to leave. At least, not right now.

With your next song, you immediately started singing after a few seconds, and you knew then it was exactly the right song. You wanted to captivate the audience, get blood pumping (in a good way), and show a little sex appeal to those you had not quite won over yet. As you sang, you felt a little bit of a jazz singer come alive in you: your hands ran up and down your curves as you swayed a bit, and attempted to 'make love' to the audience with your eyes.

"_In the land of Gods and Monsters,_  
_I was an Angel _  
_Living in the garden of evil _  
_Screwed up, scared, doing anything that I needed _  
_Shining like a fiery beacon_

_You got that medicine I need_  
_ Fame, Liquor, Love give it to me slowly _  
_Put your hands on my waist, do it softly _  
_Me and God, we don't get along, so now I sing_

_No one's gonna take my soul away _  
_I'm living like Jim Morrison _  
_Headed towards a messed up holiday _  
_Motel sprees sprees and I'm singing _  
_'Oh yeah, give it to me, this is heaven, what I truly want'_  
_It's innocence lost _  
_Innocence lost_

_In the land of Gods and Monsters _  
_I was an Angel _  
_Looking to get hit hard _  
_Like a groupie incognito posing as a real singer _  
_Life imitates art_

_You got that medicine I need_  
_ Dope, shoot it up, straight to the heart, please_  
_ I don't really wanna know what's good for me _  
_God's dead, I said 'baby that's alright with me'_

_No one's gonna take my soul away_  
_ I'm living like Jim Morrison _  
_Headed towards a messed up holiday _  
_Motel sprees sprees and I'm singing _  
_'Oh yeah, give it to me, this is heaven, what I truly want'_  
_It's innocence lost _  
_Innocence lost_

_When you talk it's like a movie and you're making me crazy,_  
_'Cause life imitates art _  
_If I get a little prettier can I be your baby?_  
_You tell me, "life isn't that hard"_

_No one's gonna take my soul away _  
_I'm living like Jim Morrison _  
_Headed towards a messed up holiday _  
_Motel sprees sprees and I'm singing _  
_'Oh yeah, give it to me, this is heaven, what I truly want'_  
_It's innocence lost _  
_Innocence lost_"

The audience sat stunned for the first few seconds after the song ended, and for a those few moments, you were terrified that you messed everything up. But then you heard a single person clapping directly in front of you: Ashley. Her hands were coming together sarcastically, but no one else in the audience noticed, and soon the loudest roar you had ever heard erupted. You even heard a few cat-whistles and whoops, making you blush. As you said goodbye, you spared a glance at Loki. His expression was unreadable and you were not close enough to see what color his eyes were; as it was, he raised his glass in toast to you, and you took that as a good sign.

As the food was served, you headed behind the curtain to compliment the band's playing, but before you got the chance, Daniel was complimenting you.

"_, that was amazing. I had no idea you had such a... powerful appeal on stage!" he exclaimed, making you blush.

"Thanks, Daniel. I wanted to tell you guys that you were all phenomenal. I could never have done this without you guys."

"You're so modest!" Daniel laughed, which you thought was odd. Daniel never laughed. In fact, he rarely smiled. Did... did he have a crush on you? Well, you were about to find out.

"Hey, Daniel," you said softly to him, batting your lashes slightly. "Do you want to eat together?"

His mouth split open in a wide grin. "Of course, I would love to have dinner together. As the dining hall is full, where would you care to go?"

"My room, here in about twenty minutes? I believe you know where it is," you joked.

Daniel's eyebrow raised, but he did not comment on the jibe. "I will be there."

You left the curtain area out a back entrance that had somehow appeared without notice in the past three days you and the band had been practicing. The hallway wrapped around the dining hall, between the far outer wall and the kitchen; luckily, everyone had been served, so no one came crashing out of the doors leading there. As you waited for the elevator button, you could not help but feel like someone was watching you. As you glanced around, however, no one was there.

With a slight 'ding', the elevator doors opened, and you just about stepped inside when you felt someone covering your mouth and nose with one hand, while a strong arm wrapped around your throat. The hand covering your mouth and throat had some sort of cloth in it, and it smelled horrible. Before you realized what it could possibly be, you began to succumb to the darkness, and were passed out before your body hit the floor.

* * *

**A/N: The first song is "Yesterday's Gone" by Straight Line Stitch, while the second is "Gods and Monsters", the edited version by Jessica Lange.**


	10. The God of Wrath

***Loki's Point of View***

The god of mischief was in a murderous mood.

"Tell me one good reason why I should not break your necks here and now," he hissed at the figures cowering on the floor before him.

* * *

When _ had left the stage, Loki had entertained the delegates over (what they considered) delicious Midgardian food. With tlks of punishment for criminals, free servant labor, and more perks that would come with being in league with Loki, everyone seemed to be in a find mood. Well, other than Ashley, who paid very little attention during these proceedings. Oddly enough, she seemed to be waiting for something.

"Are we boring you?" Loki sneered slightly, drawing Ashley's attention. She flushed at his tone.

"No, darling," she said lightly. "I am simply waiting for your discussions to finish so I can have you all to myself."

The leaders at the table laughed loudly, while a portly man with a thick Russian accent nudged Loki's arm.

"She has voracious appetite, yes?" he guffawed.

Loki gave him a wry smile. "That she does, President Sokolov. However, one does wonder if her sister is the same way."

He raised a clever eyebrow at Ashley, who's smile melted off her face like hot wax.

"A sister?" a delegate from Germany exclaimed.

"Why, yes," Loki answered slyly. "Our young entertainment that supplied us with music earlier."

The table went into an uproar. Cries of desire, ownership, and even monetary gain came from all directions. Loki relaxed in his chair, grinning at the mutinous expression on Ashley's face. He sipped his wine, enjoying the offers being thrown at him.

"I would trade in my wife and all of her riches for that girl!" the delegate from Germany exclaimed.

"Johannes, I've seen your wife," said another, "her monetary worth would be nothing compared to that girl!"

"I would give up my entire country," claimed another.

Loki sat his wine down, folded his hands together, and smiled.

"I am sorry, gentlemen," he announced over the din, "but _ is far more valuable to me than she could ever possibly be for you."

Sighs and groans were heard around the table while Loki paused.

"I do, however, highly recommend the girls in our lower levels. They have been trained by some of the most experienced escorts in the world and are well versed in all kinds of... pleasures."

A response of intrigue and pleasure were announced from the delegates, and it seemed, for the moment, that _ was cleared from their minds.

Loki summoned servants over to help the delegates find their rooms. As they left, he noticed Ashley quickly scurrying away, in the opposite direction of where he expected to go. She, however, was no match for his god-like speed.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Loki inquired, arching an eyebrow.

Ashley stiffened. "I am not feeling well," she sniffed, trying to push past him. Loki's hand shot out, grabbing her arm somewhat painfully, and pulling her closer to him.

"If you are not feeling well," he hissed, "then why are you going in the complete opposite of our chambers?"

Ashley winced in pain and tried to pull away, but his hand was like a vice.

"If you _must_ know," she retorted, "I was going to see my sister."

"The same sister you have been planning on getting rid of, without my permission?"

Ashley's face spasmed. "W-well..."

Loki's eyebrow arched higher, before a wicked grin spread across his face.

"It is no matter. I guess we will be visiting her together, then," he smirked, half-dragging Ashley behind him.

"Why do _you_ need to visit _her_?" Ashley demanded. A loud crack was heard down the hallway; Ashley grabbed her quickly reddening cheek as her eyes filled with tears.

"How many times have I told you that you are in _no_ position to question me?" Loki thundered, all traces of amusement gone from his face. "_How many_ punishments have you endured because of your RIDICULOUS Midgardian jealousy?!"

A few people poked their heads out of the dining hall to see what all of the commotion was. Those that knew better quickly retreated, while pulling the lingering gawkers back.

"You know what I think? I do not think your punishments have sunk in," Loki growled, pulling Ashley harshly to his chest. "So, instead, I am going to _give _you a punishment much more appropriate for your pitiful jealousy."

Ashley wiped her eyes and stared meekly at him. "W-what kind of p-punishment?"

Loki grinned maliciously, his eyes darkening to black. "I am going to give you a _reason_ for your jealousy. I am going to defile your sister in every way imaginable."

* * *

Immediately upon entering _'s room, they knew something was wrong. All of _'s belonging had been tossed around, while most of the furniture was broken into pieces. The hologram window showed nothing but static, while ash from the fireplace was in trails around the room. Underneath the chaise lounge, someone was stirring. Loki strode over, leaving Ashley behind, who was terrified. Her eyes swept around the room, taking in the devastation.

Loki knelt down by the stirring figure; it was the tall, bald man that played guitar and assisted _ with the musical preparations. His head was dark with blood and his nose appeared to have been broken.

"Where is she?" Loki demanded softly, but his face revealed a storm of anger brewing.

"I dob' know, muh lor'," Daniel tried to say.

Loki picked him up by the scruff of his shirt, hauling him to his feet. Loki set him down, not quite so gently, and folded crossed his own arms.

"I am going to ask you again, Daniel," Loki said impatiently. "WHERE IS SHE?"

"I swear, I dob' know, muh lor'! Sub' one was in here, throwin' fings around. When I confronted dem', they addacked me!"

Loki's face was murderous, his eyes black pools of abyss, and he began to stalk after Daniel. "Just why are YOU in here, then? What reason did you have for coming HERE?"

"_ inbited me to dine wib' her," Daniel said, raising his hands in defense. "Dat's all muh lor', I swear!"

"YOU," Loki turned to Ashley, who immediately began to cower. "You did this, Ashley. You have been wanting to get rid of her for awhile now; you have wanted her gone. Why else would you have wanted to come immediately here?"

He used his god-like speed to rush her, pushing her against a wall. He heard her head smack against it, uncaring if she was hurt.

"No, no, Loki, I didn't do anything!" Ashley protested, but nothing else could come out once he had his hand around her throat.

"DO NOT LIE TO ME!" he commanded, pressing down on her windpipe, making Ashley gasp for air.

"I'm not," she croaked, trying to unsuccessfully pull his vice-like fingers from her throat. "I want her gone, but I would NEVER want her hurt. It is you who I would hurt, just as you have hurt me."

Loki searched her rapidly purpling face for a sign that she was lying; something in his mind told him that one of them was. He removed his hand from her throat, not bothering to try and catch her as she crumpled to the floor, gasping for air and sobbing. He hauled her up by the hair and tossed her across the room, where she crashed into Daniel in a heap.

Standing over them, he put his hands out, and it was if they had both received electric shocks. Their cries went unheeded by him; their tears were unmoving.

"I know one of you planned this, if not both of you," he hissed. He released them from the magic he was unleashing on them, for a short moment. "Now, one of you will tell me who did this, and where she is, before I torture you into insanity."

"We... we both know 'o did dis," Daniel gasped out, as Ashley moaned on the floor. "It wab'... the liddle serving boy."

"A serving boy did _this_?" Loki scoffed before sending another electrical current through Daniel's body. "_Do not lie to me, boy_."

"I'b not, muh lor', I promise! Da' boy, 'e's a shabeshivver," Daniel sobbed. "Please, muh lor', 'dop dis pain!"

Loki halted for a moment. "A shapeshifter?"

Ashley finally spoke up, her tear-stained face was swollen and still somewhat purple, but her eyes were blazing. "Yes, Loki. There is a traitor within your midst. We were working on trying to figure out who the shapeshifting boy was working for."

"Tell me one good reason why I should not break your necks here and now," he hissed at the figures cowering on the floor before him.

"Because... because you need our information. No one else has it," Ashley said defiantly. Loki could not help but admire her courage in the face of possible death. It was too bad he was going to break it. He sent one last shock of electric current through them before summoning a Chitauri.

"My lord," the Chitauri bowed, completely subservient.

"Take these two to the lowest cell," Loki commanded. "Get any information out of them that you can. There is a traitor within our midst and I intend to root him out."

"Yes, my lord," the Chitauri bowed again, before crossing over to Daniel and Ashley.

"Loki, please, no! I will tell you anything, please do not send me to the lowest level!" Ashley sobbed, knowing what horrors might be in store for her. "Why? Why would you do this to us?"

Loki turned to her, his face full of contempt. "You just could not learn from your punishments, could you? Since I could not do what I set out to do before we arrived in your sister's chambers, this has taken its place."

"Oh, and do not hesitate to eliminate limbs, if you have to. Just make sure you do not kill them," Loki commanded the Chitauri, his infamous wicked grin spread across his face. "I intend to do so myself."

With that, he sped from the room, his mind racing. _ still had to be in the Tower, there was nowhere near enough time for anyone to have gotten her out without being seen. However, if he delayed any longer, they might be able to take her away.

"J.A.R.V.I.S." he called. The computer system trilled at him to let him know it was ready for instruction. "Lock the entire Tower down, every last floor. No one but I can get in or out of any room. See if you can locate _, Ashley's sister. She... has my mark."

The computer trilled again, scanning for the signs of Loki's mark. Luckily enough, few things, living or material, had Loki's mark on them, so it was relatively easy for the computer to find her.

"She is in the second lowest level, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. announced.

"Fuck," Loki hissed as he sped through the Tower. Instead of taking the slow-moving elevators, he relied on his god-speed to fly down numerous flights of stairs. Unfortunately, he felt his powers depleting, and knew he would need rest soon. He, however, could not show this weakness to anyone, lest they use it against him, especially now.

"I am coming to you, _," he said aloud, unthinking. "And I will tear everyone apart piece by little piece that had a hand in this."


	11. Thirteen

***Your Point of View***

When you finally came to, it was to near-darkness. You could dimly see the outline of shapes, but no detail. Your head was pounding fiercely, you had an awful taste in your throat, and your body felt bruised to the bone. When you moved your hand to push the hair out of your face, you felt cold metal against your wrists.

"What the hell?" you croaked, tugging. You were chained to what felt like prison bars and you belted out a scream.

"Somebody help me!" you cried, pounding on the bars beside you. "Anybody, please, help me!"

"They will not come," came a hoarse voice. You turned your heard towards the corner of the room the voice came from, but you couldn't make anything out.

"Please, don't hurt me," you begged, pulling against your restraints.

"Do not worry," the hoarse voice said gently. "Even if I were not chained, I would not cause you any harm."

"Who... who are you, then?" you asked suspiciously.

"I? I am just a prisoner, much like yourself," the voice answered vaguely.

"But what is your _name_?" you pressed impatiently.

"I was stripped of my name and my titles years ago, from what I understand. Since they placed me in this cell, I have been called many names, mainly my prisoner number, but you may call me Thirteen."

"Oh," you were confused. How could someone have their _name_ taken from them? Was that what was going to happen to _you_? You tried to imagine what it would be like only responding to a number and started to become light headed.

"How often does someone come down here to check and make sure you haven't escaped?" you asked him.

There was a moment of silence, as if Thirteen was thinking. "Once every few fortnights, I suppose. I have been down here so long that it has felt like one extraodinarily long night."

You swalloed roughly. "But, don't they feed you? I mean, they can't starve you, that's just plain cruel."

He laughed horasely. "The King of Midgard cares not what happens to his prisoners, especially those who refused to kneel."

Your heart sank as you listened to his words and you said nothing. Bile rose into your throat and you forced it back down. This poor man had been down here for _years_; no matter what he had done in the past, the least you could do was not subject him to your vomit.

"So, who are you?" Thirteen asked after awhile. "What did you do to deserve a shared cell with me?"

"I don't know!" you cried, panic constricting your chest. "I was on my way to my rooms when someone grabbed me from behind. They put this awful smelling cloth over my mouth and... oh god."

"What is it?" Thirteen asked, concerned.

"It was chloroform!" you announced, realization striking you.

"What is... chloroform?" Thirteen sounded really confused.

"It was a type of liquid they use back in the eighteen and early nineteen hundreds for an anesthetic before surgeries; it completely knocked them out."

"Who would want to harm you?"

Your first reaction was your sister, but then you thought better of it. Ashley had more of a flair for the dramatic; public-style banishment would be more her style than subtle kidnapping.

"I... I don't know," you said unsurely.

"What about his _lordship_?" Thirteen scoffed.

You thought about that for a bit. Loki was the master of chaos and mischief, after all, but the more you thought about it, the more unsure you became. If it was Loki, would he have wanted you this confused? He loved physical punishment and you tried wracking your brains for anything you might have done to anger him THIS much.

'Then again,' a nasty voice from the back of your mind said, 'What else would this prison be down here for? Loki _has_ to come here every once in awhile, or else he would just execute them.'

"I don't _think_ Loki would have done something like this," you answered Thirteen. "Then again, does anyone _really_ know exactly what Loki would do?"

"_I_ do," another voice claimed, startling you. Without any warning, a light flickered on, blinding you. From the shout of pain that came from the corner of the room, you guessed that it had blinded Thirteen, too.

In your blinded state, you couldn't see who else was speaking. You heard the jangling of keys and felt the reverberation as the cell door clanked open. You couldn't resist letting out a cry of pain as you were pulled up by the top of your hair and you felt your chained arms yank backwards painfully. You tried to open your eyes, but all your could see was the painfully bright white light.

"I know exactly how his lordship would act," the person who yanked you up painfully breathed in your face. You wrinkled your nose at his breath; the smell of rancid wine and rotten teeth was nauseating.

"What does he want with me?" you asked, your eyes streaming.

"His lordship doesn't have his hands in this," the voice growled. "He finds you of a certain value, which means he would pay _dearly_ to have you returned."

"That's not true!" you protested, trying to open your eyes wider. You caught a glimpse of missing teeth and a portly face.

"Oh, yes it is, little girl," he growled again. "Why else would he have just turned down every offer the European delegates just made? Jewels, riches, _countries_ even."

"He is the _King of Midgard_," you protested. "To him, everything on this planet is his for the taking!"

You felt a large hand wrap around your throat. "That's enough talking out of you, my _dearie_. Unless, of course, you'd like to scream for me. Oh how I just LOVE it when they scream."

"Leave her ALONE!" Thirteen commanded and you could hear him struggling against his own restraints.

"No, I don't think I will," the portly man growled. His hand released your throat a bit, just enough for your vision to stop darkening; you were able to open your eyes fully.

The portly man was more than portly, he was enormous, and dressed in a rotten tanktop and even more disgusting jeans. His watery blue eyes were roving over your body.

"Scream for me," he commanded you, a feral grin on his face.

"I will _never_ give you that satisfaction," you rasped indignantly, but his grin only widened more.

"Oh no?" he asked mockingly. "I'm sure I could find a way for you to, starting with _this_."

You felt his other large hand begin to roam over your body, and with a feeling of disgust and shame, you knew what he was thinking of doing. He pinched and prodded harshly, but you refused to even let your face betray you.

"Come on, little girl," he hissed in your ear. "Scream for me."

"NO."

You felt his slimy tongue run from your ear to your lips, which you immediately clamped shut against his pink muscle.

"Open up, _dearie_," he cooed. "Either you let out a scream or you let me into those pretty lips of yours."

An idea struck you and you relaxed your mouth, ignoring his words of delight. "I struck you as that kind of girl."

You closed your eyes as you felt his tongue invade your mouth. You pressed your body into his, feeling between his legs with your knee. He groaned against your mouth, not realizing what was coming next. With nearly lightning fast reflexes, you simultaneously rammed your knee into his groin, while biting down onto his tongue... _hard_.

The man's hand released your throat, each going to either his mouth or the sensitive area between his legs. Before he had a chance to crumple, however, you snapped your head forward. With a sickening crunch, you felt his nose break beneath your forehead. He fell to the floor, moaning and writhing in pain. As he cried out in pain, you spat out the disgusting, metallic blood that had filled your mouth when you bit down on his tongue.

"You BIH'!" he screamed angrily. "I fugin' GILL' you fo' dah!"

He shot a leg out towards your ankle, which crumpled instantly. He crawled towards you, pushing down painfully on your newly injured ankle. You saw him bundle up his fist, and you closed your eyes against the inevitable. The pain, however, never came.

Instead, you heard yet another male voice growl in sheer anger. "You _dare_ to lay a hand on one of _my_ things?"

Your eyes shot open. Despite anything that had happened between the two of you before, and the fact he just called you one of 'his things,' you had never been so relieved to see Loki standing in front of you. His rage, however, was a sight you never hoped to see again. You watched the portly man cowering beneath Loki's figure, sobbing.

"It wadn' me, Logi!" he sobbed. "I' wuh' HER! I dried do undo her 'hains an' she addacked me!"

You saw the murderous look on Loki's face and instantly wished you hadn't looked.

He scooped the man up with a single arm, tossing him outside of the cell, and then slamming him into the wall opposite your cell, smashing his head into the concrete repeatedly.

"DO. NOT. LIE. TO. ME!" Loki hissed between each slam, sending chunks of concrete, and what looked like pieces of skull, flying.

Once Loki's anger had settled, he let the body fall to the floor with a sickening thud. The sight of exposed brain matter made you retch your entire stomach contents up. Once you finished, you leaned against the bars, your injured ankle throbbing, your head even more so, and your wrists starting to chafe.

Loki walked to you. "Are you all right, _?" unusual concern marring his face as he ripped the manacles from your wrist.

"I'll be okay," you murmured. "My head and ankle feel like they're going to explode, though."

With sudden remembrance, you turned your head to look for Thirteen. During the events, he had been madly fighting against his own chains, shouting, trying to distract the portly man from hurting you. He had collapsed and fainted, and you soon understood why. He was extremely emaciated and, if he hadn't been wearing a grubby-looking tunic, probably would've been able to count every rib of his. He was covered in sores, cuts, and bruises; his hair was matted and filthy. With a jolt of recognition, you realized he was the same man being beaten by Chitauri so many years ago.

"Thirteen?" you asked tentatively, but he did not stir.

"Do not speak to him," Loki said coldly. His hands were at your ankle and you winced as you felt the familiar tingling sensation of Loki's healing.

Neither of you said anything until Loki was finished.

"How... how did you find me?" you asked as he gently helped your to your feet.

"Not here," he hissed, sparing a glance at Thirteen. "Are you able to walk or do I need to carry you?"

"I will walk, thank you," you said, trying to take a few steps. Unfortunately, the effects of the chloroform were still affecting you, and you began to fall. Luckily, Loki caught you, and he lifted you gently into his arms.

"It looks like _you_ will not be walking anywhere," he gruffed. "Now, close your eyes."

"Why, sir?" you finally remembered.

"Because, little one," he said somewhat fondly (for Loki, anyways). "You would not wish to see this."

You decided not to mention anything about not wanting to see someone have their brains bashed out, so you did what he told you to. You felt him take a small step forward and it felt like only a half second later that he was telling you to open your eyes. When you did, you realized that you were in his (and Ashley's) chambers instead of your own.

"Wha-? How did...?" you seemed incapable of finishing the question, too stunned.

"It comes from being a god," Loki bragged slightly. He set you down gently on the couch; a split second later, he was handing you a damp washrag.

"For you face," he said with a slight sneer.

"Oh. I guess I probably look pretty bad, eh?"

"One could say that," Loki retorted. As you wiped the blood, dirt, and tears from your face, he continued talking. "However, I must say it was most satisfactory watching you strike that man down."

"Who was he?"

"He was my jail keeper for the lower levels. A _traitor_," he spat, his eyes full of venom.

"If you don't mind my asking, sir, do you know why?" you left the question open-ended.

He turned to you, an odd look on his face. "It appears we have a traitor in our midst. Your sister and that _boy_, Daniel, seemed to know something of it, and refused to report it to me. They thought they could weed him out," Loki scoffed. "As it remains, they are being kept in some of the lower levels until they reveal all of the information that they kept from me."

"What will happen to them after, sir?" you asked, your heart pounding.

"That remains to be seen," Loki informed you, smiling maliciously. "I do see an execution in the near future, though."

You held back the tears, refusing to shed any more today. He may have just saved your life, but that gave him no right to delight in being cruel.

"Why did you bring me _here_?" you asked, biting back the words you so desperately wanted to say.

"Your room was destroyed by traitors and it must be repaired, as well as have the security upgraded. My chambers have the maximum amount of security in the entire Tower, save for the lowest level, as you well know. You shall remain here for the time being."

"Where will I sleep?" you asked, not seeing any option other than the bed. He gave you a wicked grin and arched an eyebrow.

"Well," he said wickedly, stalking towards you. "There is the couch you are sitting on, of course, but you may very well join me in my bed. It is far more comfortable, after all."

"I'll take the couch, thank you. Sir."

Loki gave a small shrug. "If you insist. Please take full use of the washroom," he insisted. "You, as the Midgardians would say, 'look a fright.'"

You made your way, somewhat shakily, to the familiar bathroom, but not before Loki captured your attention one last time.

"Oh, and _," he grinned. "I must admit that seeing you in those chains was most... riveting. I do foresee that possibility for you in the future."

You blushed, but said nothing. Gently padding over to the bathtub, you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror.

'Jeeze,' you thought, 'I DO look a fright.'

Your hair was a snarled mess, one of the straps of your lovely dress was shredded, and your face was still covered in blood. After taking a hot shower and scrubbing every inch of your, once again, battered body, you found a thick towel to wrap yourself in, and you made your way to your sister's closet. Well, what USED to be her closet; instead of Ashley's clothes hanging up, they were all YOURS. At some point during your bath, Loki must have had the closet set up for you. But when?

You dressed in a pair of dark, stretchy pants and a blue sweater, making your way out of the washroom. The curtains were drawn against the light of the moon and a single lamp next to the couch was still on, lighting your way. You spared a glance at Loki's bed, realizing with a jolt that he was there... SLEEPING.

You silently tiptoed over to the bed, curiosity getting the better of you. All traces of malevolence was gone from his face, and he looked almost, well, INNOCENT. His raven hair was splayed out over his pillow and his arms were gently laying at his sides. You saw that he was bare-chested, and despite the thoughts of the jail keeper earlier, you couldn't help but admire his physique. While he was not large and bulky-muscled like many women admired, his muscles were lean and appeared to be carved from stone. The green satin sheets began at his low waist, where a sharp 'V' began to farm. You blushed at the thought of what was possibly underneath that sheet.

"If you are going to stand there and gawk, you may as well join me." You jumped at Loki's voice.

"I'm so, _so_ sorry," you mumbled, embarrassed.

He chuckled wryly, opening his emerald eyes. "I was not joking, _. There is no point in your weak, sore Midgardian body laying on an uncomfortable couch when there is enough space for nearly five people on this bed."

You were unsure and apparently the glance to where the sheets were didn't go unnoticed.

"I do have pants on."

"Oh, oh-kay," you said, still unsure.

"I promise, I will be like a saint. Do not be so bloody stubborn."

You were a bundle of nerves, this was LOKI after all, but your body ached and the bed looked warm and inviting. Your mind and body warred, but your body quickly won. You clambered into the bed awkwardly, sliding under the cool sheets, letting out a groan of relief. You laid onto your back and closed your eyes, hovering near the edge, trying to keep as much distance between you and Loki as possible. You tried to relax enough to get to sleep, which was ridiculously hard, considering the glittering green eyes watching you.

"Come here, little one," he said and your heart began to race. You scooted over a tad bit, but it wasn't enough for Loki. He pulled you to him, your breasts pressed against his chest. You curled up slightly, breathing in his strange scent. For some reason, while this made your heart race blatantly, it comforted you in ways you hadn't been comforted in years.

Suddenly, you felt (and heard) Loki give two loud claps and the room was plunged into darkness. Realization dawned on you.

"You... have a _clapper_?" This amused you to no end and you couldn't contain the giggles.

After a few moments, Loki pulled you closer and breathed into your ear. "That is enough now, _. If you keep me awake I will be most displeased."

The fact that Loki had a clapper amused you far into the night, but you kept it to yourself. That, combined with the fact that you were laying in Loki's arms, pretty much guaranteed that there was _no_ possible way you were going to sleep.


	12. Depraved

**Author's Note: Sexy, semi-lemony goodness awaits this filler chapter. Sorry it's a tad bit shorter, but I figured I would slightly reward (and frustrate) my lovely readers. I'm still working out the kinks in the plot for after this chapter, so if a few weeks goes by without a new chapter, I'm really sorry. I hope you enjoy this and please let me know if Loki was a bit too... much. **

* * *

It was a long while until you realized that you were awake. You had such a pleasant, dreamless sleep that you didn't want to get out of bed and face your sister that morning. It had been a very long time since you had a completely dreamless, peaceful sleep; in fact, it was before Loki had taken over. You felt someone shift slightly behind your prone body and froze, realization of the night before crashing down upon you. You were in LOKI'S bed, you remembered with a sudden chill, while your sister was probably being subjected to some sort of horrendous torture somewhere in the lower levels. You felt your heart begin to race as Loki pressed his body against your back, radiating warmth. This probably wouldn't be the best of positions to stay in, you thought, knowing full well the possible implications of your decision to sleep in his comfortable bed.

You slowly began to inch your way towards the edge of the bed, but before you could get far, an arm snaked around your middle and pulled you backwards. You felt Loki's lips press against your ear, whispering silkily, "Did I say you could leave the bed, yet?"

Your heart sank, wondering what was in store for you, but all Loki merely did was brush your hair away from your neck. The movement was so gentle, it took you by surprise, and it didn't register for a moment that his sharp nails were softly tracing swirls against your skin. You just KNEW you should've slept on the couch last night; then again, a feeling of delicious wickedness was starting to unravel somewhere deep inside you.

"Did you enjoy your slumber?" Loki asked softly, his fingers working their way through your tangled locks.

"Y-yes, sir," you croaked, wincing at the newly discovered pain in your throat. It seemed that the chloroform had taken its toll on your vocal cords sometime through the night.

Loki wrapped his hand around your throat, but placed no pressure, and you braced yourself for the burning, then cooling sensation of his healing. To distract yourself, you began to internally question why Loki was being so gentle with you. If it had been your sister that went through the predicament you had, he certainly would not have treated her so gently.

'_Then again_,' a nasty little voice in your head stated, '_Ashley has ten times the strength that you do. She wouldn't need to be coddled._'

Loki removed his hand and with a sudden movement, turned you completely around to face him.

"Are you quite finished?" he growled. "Your internal monologue is quite ridiculous."

Finally, you had an answer to one of the questions burning away inside of you.

"You can read my mind?" you gasped.

He raised an eyebrow. "Apparently you are not one to listen to rumors and gossip of lesser folk."

You shook your head. "I never really talked with most of the other... servants. Sir," you added hastily.

"I did not mean that only low servants gossip," he said icily. "I know your sister is quite prone to doing so."

You thought quickly, but couldn't think of a time where Ashley had gossiped, or even mentioned, that he could read minds.

"I cannot open the mind like a book and read its pages," he told you, sighing. "I can read strong emotions that the mind decides to illicit, no matter how confusing the emotions are."

"So, you're like an empath?" you asked, bringing a frown about Loki's face.

"Not quite," he answered. "I do not 'feel' the feelings of others, nor do their emotions command mine. Much like one would read the back cover of a Midgardian book and get a sense of what that book is about, I can read the emotions of other beings and can generally guess what they're thinking."

"For instance," he continued, "I know that you are feeling quite overwhelmed and bewildered at our conversation, despite having suspicions about it for a very long time, as well as remorse for forgetting about your sister for a short time, despite what happened to you yesterday. Your heart is racing from being in such an intimate position with me and you feel a tinge of guilt for sleeping in my bed."

You lay there, completely dumbfounded at everything he had just told you. You didn't, however, have time to dwell on it, for he had pulled you close to him and was staring into your eyes. The glittering green pools of his were captivating you once again, as if you could stare into them for an eternity. It took you a moment to realize that he was speaking again.

"Do not feel guilt, my dear," he spoke gently this time. "I have had updates on your sister throughout the night and she is sleeping peacefully at this point. It took very little breaking for her to reveal all of the information that she knew. She has been moved to the medical floor for treatment of her injuries and has also been given medicines to help her sleep. It is the safest way to keep her from being underfoot."

You sighed in relief, knowing that not only was your sister virtually unharmed, but she wouldn't be causing you any troubles for at least a little while.

"Do you know who...?" you questioned, but Loki brushed the question away with a wave of his hand.

"Do not worry about that now," he commanded gently. "For now, I wish to continue laying here with you. It has been quite a pleasant experience so far and I intend for it to stay that way. Many, many years have passed since I fully enjoyed the presence of another's company in my bed."

This confused you more; what about Ashley? For the past six years, she had been in Loki's company. Didn't he enjoy it at least once?

"It is hard to enjoy another's company when they are cold," Loki answered. "Now please, little one, silence yourself. I do not wish to field question after question at this time. If I must, you will find me to become very unpleasant."

You attempted to make your brain go blank, which was quite simple once you dared glance at his face again. Loki's eyes were boring into yours, and he didn't seem to blink as often as one would think. You both lay there, staring into each others eyes, for what felt like both an eternity and a split second. You felt him trace his thumb against your lip and you couldn't help but gently flick your tongue at it. He always smelled so strange, and yet so good, and you were curious to see if he tasted the same, so you did it unthinkingly. The reaction from him was unexpected, to say the least.

Loki lunged at your face with his, lips colliding viciously. You were completely crushed against his bare chest to the point where you weren't sure where he ended and you began. His soft lips were mashing themselves against yours, while his tongue demanded entrance behind them. You relented after a moment, feeling that delicious wickedness forming in your core again. Loki's hands roamed against your hair, your neck, and your back, and you could feel the heat building between the two of you.

As his hands began to roam underneath the back of your sweater, you felt yourself give a small gasp against his mouth, and Loki chuckled.

"I sometimes forget that you are a stranger to any sort of intimacy," he grinned wickedly, trailing kisses along your face and down your neck.

"I'm not a virgin," you protested, somewhat indignantly. You had lost it to a boy you thought you loved two years prior. He had been a kitchen hand and he was constantly sneaking you extra food. After the deed had been done, however, he had disappeared. The head cook had told you he had transferred to another part of the building, but you never saw him again.

"You may have had someone inside you before," Loki continued, beginning to nip at your neck. "But you are a virgin when it comes to intimacy."

You felt your body being rolled onto your back, with the feeling of Loki's weight on top of yours. "I want you a little more... depraved," he growled slightly, wrapping your legs around his waist. You felt something brush against your nether regions and couldn't resist a sigh.

"I want you begging for me to be inside of you," he continued, grabbing two fistfuls of your sweater and shredding it into pieces. You let out a shriek against the cool air hitting your breasts, your nipples puckering. You tried to cover yourself with your hands, but Loki pinned them to your sides.

"Do not hide yourself from me," he commanded, his liquid eyes taking in your upper body. You felt him release your hands and you fought the urge to cover yourself again. He traced a nail down from your throat to your navel and you let out a hiss against the soft pain.

"I want you to relish in the pleasure... and the pain," he told you, before leaning down and pressing his body against yours. His lips found your ear once again, a favorite of his. "I want you to be screaming my name over and over again."

By this point, you were blushing from head to toe, but it went completely unnoticed by Loki, who was, once again, nipping his way down your neck. This time, however, he continued on down your chest, nipping around the base of your breasts and working his way to your nipples. He gently flicked at each of them with his tongue, sending a gentle wave of pleasure down your spine each time he did. You couldn't help but pant in pleasure.

His teeth and tongue continued on down towards your navel, while his hands began to gently play with your breasts. You felt yourself beginning to come undone when he stopped. You let out a mewl of protest as you felt his hardness stop rubbing against your softness and he chuckled.

"You're not depraved enough yet, darling," he grinned wickedly, unwrapping your legs from around his waist. "Give it time and you will be begging, I promise."

Before you could think about the consequences of your words, you retorted, "What if I beg you now?"

Loki's eyebrows shot up briefly in surprise, but quickly disappeared. Instead, a dark smile spread across his face, lighting up his eyes in an eerie manner.

"Do you _really_ think that you are depraved enough to keep up with me?" he asked sinisterly, running his nails along your outer thigh.

You held your head up defiantly, daring to look back into his eyes, despite the fact that, by that point, they made you want to curl up and hide.

With a sudden flash and the gentle blowing of your hair, he had you pinned against a wall with his body, his nails digging somewhat hard into your jawline.

"Can you really take the pain with the pleasure, my dear?" he cooed darkly, before running his tongue along the side of your cheek. "Such a soft, breakable _Midgardian_. The stamina of a weaker god alone would break you."

Another flash and gust of gentle breeze and your bare chest was pressed to the large window in his chambers, your arms twisted rather painfully behind your back. He held a chunk of your hair in one hand and was pressing his rock-hardness into your rear.

"Could you subject yourself to the viewing of your body by whomever I deemed you should?" he growled in your ear before painfully clamping onto your neck and suckling. This was a side of Loki you had not suspected to exist, and while it was starting to scare you, it was also quite thrilling in your nether regions.

Loki tossed you bodily back to the bed, where you bounced, and had he not re-pinned you to it with his own body, you would have been launched out of it by sheer force. He pinned both of your arms above your head with one hand, while the other was used to sharply run nails down your sides.

"Answer me, pet," he demanded, "before I lose my temper."

You swallowed harshly and cleared your throat, trying to think, which was difficult considering Loki had latched on to one of your breasts, and was suckling greedily.

"I... I...," you stammered, trying to form coherent words. "I think I could."

Loki chuckled darkly and at once, you found yourself unpinned and slightly missing the weight of his body against yours.

"Get dressed," he commanded, heading towards his own closet, "If you really are as desperate for me as you say you are, you will find my first appointment of the day quite appealing."

You stumbled from the bed, blushing furiously, wondering what the hell you had gotten yourself into now, and whether or not you would ever learn to keep your mouth shut.


End file.
